One War to Another

by Jjmjjktth

Summary:

Chosen for a mission only they can accomplish, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi vanish into the criminal underworld, assuming roles that blur every line between duty, instinct, and desire.
As they climb deeper into a dangerous syndicate, Ahsoka Tano steps into leadership, haunted by the absence of the person who shaped her most.
The war hinges on secrets, and some bonds only grow stronger when tested in the dark.

Updates on Sundays!

Notes:

• For Jjmjjktth.
• Inspired by Redolent of you by Himboskywalker

It gets better, (please don't kill me!)

Chapter 1: Chapter 1: The Third Battle of Christophsis (Ahsoka)

Prologue

Chapter 1: The Third Battle of Christophsis (Ahsoka)

(17 BBY, 5 years into the Clone Wars)

Ahsoka stood at the front of the men as her master spoke to the assembled group. Anakin’s eyes were alight; she knew that her master had no love for the harm a war could cause, but she was one of, if not the best, strategists in the GAR, and she knew it. If there was one thing that she took pride in, it was her ability to win battle after battle for the republic while maintaining one of the lowest casualty rates.

Ahsoka knew that Anakin saw her command as a great responsibility, her instincts demanding she do anything and everything to protect her men, but her master would not have it any other way. It was set into her eyes every time she looked at the clones. The clones were her pack, and she would defend them with her life.

Maybe that is why Obi-Wan has been around more lately. Ahsoka thought Anakin and Obi-Wan were uniquely qualified to work as a team, their strengths and weaknesses in perfect balance in a way that she strived to be.

Anakin was calmly gesturing her way through the battle plan in an efficient manner, updating the field officers on changes in intel. Obi-Wan stood quietly at her side, eyes periodically flickering between the gathered generals, commanders, and marshal commanders participating in the assault and Anakin. He sent sharp looks whenever someone’s attention seemed to be drifting away; one of which was very pointedly stabbing directly at her. Ahsoka flushed, re-focusing on her master.

“-s position has been observed more to the east than we originally expected.” Anakin paused and looked directly at her. There was something in her eyes that she had noticed building lately. Something that got her instincts a bit worked up. Her inner alpha’s urge to comfort her master unexpectedly pushing against her Jedi resolve. She swallowed thickly, trying to convince her alpha that nothing was wrong. Her instincts settled unhappily.

“We will move our field command post here as a result.” Anakin pointed at an area thick with the turquoise spires Christophsis was known for.

“I expect each battalion to coordinate from there, and I expect there to be at least two squads worth of men stationed to defend the main communications hub.” Anakin paused to make sure everyone was paying attention to her.

“I don’t anticipate too much trouble at command, but it is always wise to be careful. Each Jedi will oversee their assigned areas and alternate fighting on the frontline.” That was new.

Anakin may be extra careful with those under her command, but that care did not extend to herself. She was reckless with a purpose and had one of the highest personal injury rates among the generals.

Weirdly, her master had been more careful lately. More focused on training for some reason. Her alpha coiled up again, bristling at the change before resting with an unsettling buzz against her skin. Something was wrong about this.

Ahsoka squinted at her master and wondered if she felt it too. Anakin was now off to the side, whispering with Obi-Wan and Master Windu, her profile reading as resigned but certain. What were they not telling her?

That image stuck in the back of her brain as she spun her sabers around, deflecting the many blaster bolts flying toward her men and her. She wove seamlessly through the droids, leaving destruction in her wake. Anakin had her commanding a few platoons for the last six months or so, something about hands-on leadership practice both in and out of battle. She was proud to say that she had been successful so far, her alpha preening at every little assignment her master gave her.

“Generals, Commanders, General Windu is down,” her comm cracked. She held her breath for a moment. “Taking him to medical.” Her heart stuttered. That wasn't supposed to happen. The battle was supposed to be easy; they had three battalions participating in the assault!

She glanced off to her left toward Windu’s assigned area. Anakin and Obi-Wan were seamlessly splitting the area between themselves. Barely a moment later, Obi-Wan’s voice crackled through.

“Anakin and I will take over his area.”

They really did have a backup for everything. Even as she breathed in relief, her instincts slowly bristled. Something was coming.

Ahsoka returned her focus to the battle, absently feeling out with the force. Nothing. Nothing that wasn't supposed to be there. Then why did her instincts still war with her mind? She deflected another bolt into an oncoming droid. They were steadily, if slowly, gaining ground. Only the sheer number of droids complicating things. The only thing that was different was the extra battalions under their command.

At her appointed time, Ahsoka retreated back to check in with the command post. Suddenly, a malevolence swept across the battlefield.

Before her stood a tall figure shrouded in darkness. Gloved hands held loosely at their side, and face hidden beneath the shadow of their black cloak. In the Force, there was nothing but the menacing aura that spread from an astonishing emptiness. She could not identify anything about this figure. Only that they were not a friend.

In a split second, a saber fell into the figure’s hand and ignited. It was red. Ahsoka snarled. They lunged.

The figure was faster than she expected them to be; they were drowning in fabric after all. She found herself surprised, barely raising her sabers in time to keep her head. Giving her no time to recover or comm for back-up, the figure attacked relentlessly.

Something was still off. After that first strike, the being seemed to be more focused on maneuvering her position than killing or maiming her. Before the implications dawned on her, she felt a spike of panic down her training bond and heard the unique sound of an enraged omega.

In the next second, Anakin was in front of her, Obi-Wan not far behind. It was a trap. She was bait. Kriff.

Before she could say a word, the three warriors were engaged in a battle more fierce than she had ever seen. She could smell Anakin’s rage and panic more than ever before. There was something almost melancholy beneath it.

This battle, however, was far beyond her skill, and Obi-Wan was there to watch Anakin’s back. So, Ahsoka fell back on protocol. It was up to her to lead the army while they were occupied.

She ran back to the fronts.

“Rex! Cody! Command plan 42!” she urgently shouted into her communicator.

The two men immediately moved to reorganize the defence lines. Compensating for the lack of Jedi support and keeping the droids away from the duel. Her comm immediately began to light up more as she was recognised as the current top officer. Redirecting the flow of information from Anakin to her, allowing her master to focus on the fight.

Ahsoka began to balance directing troop instructions and maintaining a presence on the battlefield. She had to place her trust in the Force and in her men. The Clones around her seamlessly moved to surround her the moment her focus was required elsewhere. Flowing around her just like they practiced; forming and breaking ranks in tandem as easily as breathing.

The next two hours were long and sweaty. Every step was fought for and maintained with valiant struggle. The clones rotated through the more difficult areas to maintain strength. Each rotation brought with it concerned determination. They were fighting a tide, but it was not unceasing.

Throughout the chaos, there was a constant sound. The clashing of lightsabers in a duel for the fate of the battle was a steady presence that reminded her that her master was still fighting and had never stopped. It made her insides roll about in a prickly manner.

She was fully aware of Anakin’s capabilities as a warrior and a general, but the feeling that had been growing in her for the past few months swelled alarmingly. Whatever had been building was going to reach its crescendo before the battle ended. She could feel it.

She couldn't afford to focus on it, though. Anakin was trusting her with the safety of the pack. Ahsoka refused to let her down. As low as the 501st’s casualty rate was, it still killed Anakin every time they had to bury another clone. Her master’s distress would leak through the strongest scent blockers as evidence. She refused to add to Anakin’s plate of sorrows. That meant protecting her men and staying alive. Harder than you would think.

The duel was shifting. On one of her small breaks, Ahsoka saw her master land a hit on the stranger. As if this were some kind of cue. They began to flee towards the hangar in the distance. Rage and sorrow seeping into the air, Anakin made an immediate pursuit, Obi-Wan shouting and running after her in distress. The two Jedi battling their way through droids that simply let the figure pass.

It was confusing. Ahsoka had only seen her master like that when Obi-Wan was injured in a duel a few years ago. Rendered blissfully unconscious as Anakin fiercely tore through the opposition and dragged his deadweight to medical. However, the man appeared to be fine, if a bit stressed making sure Anakin didn't get herself killed.

That was when she noticed. The stranger had injured her. The stranger had hurt her, and Anakin was in a protective rage. That was not good.

Ahsoka lost sight of them and was forced to return her focus to her men. She felt lightly distracted as she continued to deflect and shield her men. Eventually falling into a kind of moving meditation focused on defending her people.

But her trance was broken and her skin started to prickle. The air pressure began to change, and a great wind knocked their clothes about, kicking up what little dust layered the ground. A wave of panic and regret burst down her and Anakin’s training bond, shortly followed by a burst of energy rolling across the battlefield, short-circuiting droids and equipment as it went. The battlefield stilled.

It became so quiet that you couldn’t bear to shift or even breathe lest the tension break. Someone to her left moved. The earth shattered.

An overpowering scent of ozone saturated the atmosphere. The very air turned spicy and acidic with static that belonged in a thunderstorm. Then white.

A wall of pressure and light fell upon them, flattening everything and holding them down. Around the men, their equipment was tossed about and crushed. Through some miracle of the Force, she heard no yelps of pain.

The pressure pinned them to the ground, helpless to shield against the sudden roar of sound unlike any heard before. Just like it began, it ended. The only evidence was the destruction and the faint taste of metal in the air. The sky remained as it was before and the force felt… sad.

Ahsoka sat up. Rex grumbled nearby as he righted himself and began helping the men around them stand to pick off the small wave of droids tumbling into the new junkyard. Ahsoka did none of these things.

She couldn't move her gaze away from the origin of the explosion. The very thing that may have helped win the battle. Normally, she would be happy about such a thing, but the bomb came from the hangar. The hangar that her master and Obi-Wan had run into. The hangar that didn’t exist anymore.

Frantically, she reached within herself where she treasured her training bond with the closest thing she had to a mother figure. She found nothing.

Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Gone (Ahsoka)

Summary:

This is the second half of the prologue (don't kill me!!!) It gets better I promise.

Chapter 2: Gone (Ahsoka)

She didn’t even feel the bond snap. There was just nothing. Not even an echo.

When did it even disappear? She couldn't breathe. She had always thought that Anakin would be with her when the moment to sever their bond came. That she would have the omega’s scent to help smooth the transition.

She had never told her just how much she had come to admire her.

She couldn't breathe.

The dust was too thick. The very thing her alpha guarded vanished. Her mind was empty.

Had the dust cleared yet?

Something was obstructing her vision. Something cold and dusty pressed into her forehead, jolting her back into her body. She tried to reel back but gloves on her back held her in place.

“Commander, can you hear me?” The voice sounded urgent.

When had she been able to breathe again?

“Ahsoka, snap out of it!” It was her name that jolted her fully back. She found herself staring at the blue designs on Rex’s plasteel helmet. Had she ever heard that tone of desperation from him?

“I can’t feel her,” she choked out. Rex offered her a hand and pulled her to her feet. She could feel the determination in his posture.

“Let's clear out the rest of these clankers so we can begin rescue efforts.” Ahsoka nodded, glad that Rex was such a reliable friend and commander.

Something began boiling inside her. Her breath became hot, and her eyes narrowed. Inside her chest, a primal wail tried to break free. She became eerily still, coiled like her inner alpha had been prone to feeling as of late.

As the dust finally settled, Rex took a step to the side and Ahsoka launched herself forward. Followed by her men, Ahsoka carved her way through the crowds of droids and toward their source.

The unexpectedly large droid force did not recover as quickly as Ahsoka’s men did. Their electronics, if they were far enough from the detonation to have some functionality, rebooted unevenly. It would have been laughably easy to take them all down if they hadn't underestimated their numbers.

They had known there would be more droids than usual as the army’s activities had left this sector neglected for far too long. Yet they had still underestimated things.

They had brought 1600 extra clones to the planet with them and they were still having to fight for all the ground they gained.

The newly uncoordinated movements of the droids made the task of carving a path with her blades almost as easy as her early Padawan training.

She had determined earlier on in the battle that the droids could be stopped simply by finding a way to seal the doors they were emerging from. Most of the battle was spent gaining and losing ground trying to reach them. With the men at her back, and the channeling of her instincts, Ahsoka moved like a hurricane with a singular focus. Stop the droids.

If she could do that, then she didn't have to think of the way her alpha yowled and cried for its missing bond. A black hole in her chest.

Unexpectedly, she found herself at the door she was trying to reach. Her lips were sore and wet with salt. Tears or sweat, she didn't know. Forcing her mouth out of the twisted snarl she had been displaying, she could only feel lost.

A hand landed on her shoulder.

“Ahsoka?” It was Rex. The marshal always had his thumb on the pulse of the group. Always the second to know when something was wrong, behind Anakin, of course.

“Right, the door.” She made quick work of welding the metal together with her sabers. Relying on her men to guard her as she concentrated on using the force to hold the door closed so the metal could cool into a seal.

“Commander.” Her comm crackled to life. Ahsoka jolted. “There is a second door, the 187th has it handled. The droids won’t have any more backup.” Ahsoka nearly sagged in relief, but blaster fire started up once more.

“Have everyone clear the areas then begin looking into the ex-” she choked. “The explosion.”

“Yes, Commander.” She turned to Rex, wishing that she could see a face in that moment. She was surrounded only by plasteel visors. There was something distinctly alienating in being the only one able to visibly express complex grief.

She shook herself back into focus. Sharpened eyes itching to spy a target to fight, and there were plenty of stragglers wandering about. She lunged again, this time with an audible snarl that coaxed a few startled noises from her clone companions.

The worry radiating in the force reeled her back into control. Her face became serene as she helped her men dispose of the remaining battle droids until there were no more.

Cautiously tailed by Rex and a few others who had witnessed her earlier outbursts, Ahsoka walked slowly toward the former hangar. Twenty or so clones from the 501st and 212th rushed ahead to begin search and rescue efforts.

Her pace did not change as she stepped closer to the distressed cacophony that emanated from the self-appointed rescue crew.

There was no wreckage. It was as if there had only ever been a crater there. A whole building and its contents plucked from existence in a single moment. She fell to her knees, accompanied by an alarmed shout from Rex.

The only thing she could do was reach out to the Force in despair. It was screaming, but not in grief. All she could feel was patience from the Force. Ahsoka sat and waited for it to change, it didn’t. She shoved herself to her feet, radiating frustration and turned to Rex.

“I don't know what to do,” she whispered. Rex removed his helmet, tucked it under his arm, and stared blankly at the crater in front of them. They sat in silence for a bit.

“We could check in with General Windu,” he suggested eventually. Ahsoka found herself unable to come up with another option. She wanted very badly to get away from the place where her mo- master was simply erased. Nodding decisively, she activated her comm.

“Command central, which med-bay was Master Windu taken to?” She began walking to the area where ships would be lifting off soon.

“The Endurance, Commander,” came the prompt reply.

“Thank you. Please inform the transport to the endurance that Marshal Rex and I will be joining them. Please also inform Marshal Cody that he is to be the commanding officer until either Master Windu or I come to change that.”

“Yes, Commander.”

The transport they boarded was holding the more seriously wounded clones that couldn't be treated in triage. Ahsoka found herself sitting in near complete silence. She pulled herself inward again. Her alpha was listless. Pacing around where her bond with Anakin used to be.

The Force continued to radiate peace and patience. A burst of anger swelled, and she had to bite her tongue to keep from growling out loud. How could the Force expect patience from her right after her master had been killed? The Force only doubled down on the feeling, fueling her frustration.

Standing suddenly, Ahsoka began to pace. The very picture of agitation. Rex stood after a moment.

“Ahsoka,” he began, but drifted off. There were very few things that Rex felt incapable of handling. He had always said that experience was the most valuable thing in life. She found herself wishing that Rex would have something to say to make things easier on them. Even if that would be cruel.

Evidently, there was nothing to say. The man just stood by her. His presence a constant in the calamity surrounding her.

The ship landed in the hangar bay with a jolt and was immediately swarmed by medical droids and staff. The droids and clones working together to begin the transport of the severely wounded to the medical hall.

She and Rex calmly stood off to the side so the more urgent business could be taken care of. The battle was over for them, and there was no need, other than their own, to make this report immediately.

The busyness spilled out of the hangar and into the hallways. Ahsoka and Rex followed quickly so the ship could return for more wounded.

Every ten steps or so, they needed to dodge someone running in either direction. Usually, she would be with Anakin right now, balancing the woman’s melancholy over her men with her own excitement over victory. Did Anakin feel like this over her whole battalion? She couldn't imagine feeling this strongly after every battle over the past five years.

Her feet began to grow heavy as if gravity was increasing the closer she and Rex got to Master Windu’s rooms. The air was thinning until Rex gently bumped her shoulder. The man was keeping a close eye on her. Just like Anakin.

Windu’s door was closed, and Ahsoka finds that she suddenly can’t move her arms. A keening noise almost rumbles free of her chest, battering against the stiffness in her throat. Rex’s hand returns to her shoulder, and she can move again. She raps at the door.

“Master Windu? Marshal Rex and I are here to give our report on the battle.” The door opens, and they walk in.

Master Windu looks to be in terrible shape. He radiated physical exhaustion in the force so strongly that it felt like he was the one fighting the Sith down there. His injury must have been quite a severe ordeal. He gestures them over to the workbench that is already covered in flimsi and various datapads. Privately, she had expected the Councilman to be more organized.

“The battle is officially over, in our favor.” Ahsoka began on autopilot, her voice steady and hollow. Describing the events in clinical, detached speech. Rex reached up a hand on occasion to pat or rest on her shoulder, prompted by some unseen cue whenever she began to feel overwhelmed by the words falling from her lips.

The air in the room began to cloud, the dust of battle peaking in her periphery only to retreat whenever Rex grounded her. The Marshal handed her a datapad. The abrupt flash of white light erased the room.

Ash compressed in her throat, cutting off her voice at the source, breaking the words before she could form them. An oppressive heat washed over her, bringing pressure over her body, and she struggled not to stagger or gasp.

Rex’s hand squeezed this time. Hard. A sharp pain in a nerve point called her back to the Master’s rooms. White gave way to brown eyes close to her face, searching for any changes in expression. Off to the side, Master Windu’s face was slightly pinched, as if faced with a regrettable if necessary situation.

“Ahsoka,” the Master breathed, eyes warm. “Would you prefer to finish this report later?” That was interesting.

She shook her head.

“No, it’s best that you know what happened as soon as possible.” Her voice took on an almost robotic quality. Rex squeezed her shoulder again.

“In pursuit of an unknown Sith, Generals Kenobi and Skywalker were likely caught up in the explosion. They were both likely-” Ahsoka blinked and swallowed to remain in control of her voice. “They were both likely killed.” Rex’s hand squeezed before letting go.

Mace Windu’s face remained slightly pinched. There was a sudden flash of regret in his eyes; so fast she almost missed it. Turning to Rex, she saw him reading something on the datapad he had tried to pass her earlier.

“Here are the clone casualty reports, General.” Rex passed the pad to Master Windu this time.

“Thank you, Marshal.” His face smoothed out as he accepted the pad, focusing on the numbers displayed.

“Ahsoka, you should take temporary command of the 501st and the 212th and head back to Coruscant,” his voice was measured. He looked directly into her eyes, making it clear she was to consider his next words carefully. “While you journey there, you should meditate on whether or not you are ready for the Trials.”

Ahsoka’s alpha reeled back, trying to take shelter behind a bond that no longer existed. Pain clawed its way through her soul. How could Master Windu be so calloused! It hadn't even been a standard day!

The man was dead serious. His face settled, that flicker of regret smoothing to impassiveness. The Force flared at her to remain patient and consider him carefully.

“Yes, Master Windu.”

Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Summoned (Anakin)

Summary:

The beginning of Arc 1! Tiny ime jump here... just a year back, gotta give y'all some info and context ya know

After this i'll try to keep it to weekly updates :D

Chapter 3: Summoned (Anakin)

(18 BBY, one year before Christophsis)

“So, Master.” Anakin raised her eyebrow, lips smirking in a teasing manner. “Any inside details on this meeting… or is it to remain a surprise?” Obi-Wan rolled his eyes in his familiar pattern that was more amused than anything. Her inner omega preened at affecting the man’s composure, like always.

“I’m going into this as blind as you are, Anakin.” His tone was fond with a current of anxiety only readable because of how long they had known each other. “I don’t know why, though,” he muttered.

Her former master had been on the Jedi Council for all four years of the Clone Wars. He was generally the most informed of the Jedi that Anakin worked with. His current absence of knowledge chafed against her image of the man.

A light informed them they could enter before she could feel properly wrong-footed. The council chambers were nearly empty; only Masters Yoda and Windu were attending, no holograms. Anakin was grateful when Obi-Wan decided to remain standing instead of taking his seat. The situation was odd enough as is.

“Checked this room for listening devices, we have,” the old master leaned forward, placing his weight onto his stick. “Completely secret, this must be.” His tone was serious as death.

Obi-Wan stilled nearly imperceptibly at her shoulder.

“Masters?” she prompted curiously, sensing that whatever was discussed today would have an indescribable impact on her life. The moment felt like a precipice in the force, a choice that would change everything.

“A new mission for you, we have. Very trying, it will be.” Yoda was solemn.

“Several trusted informants have notified us of a new major player in the war. One that is not on our side.” Anakin didn't think that Mace Windu could look any more serious than he already did.

“All of our efforts to gain inside information have failed. The mission would involve infiltrating this new group and funneling info back for us to use. There will be no record of this mission, and your only contact with the order will be with Master Yoda and myself.” Windu held up a thick packet of flimsi. Obi-Wan reached to take it and skim the first page.

“Read the packet, discuss, and meditate, you must. Decide now, you need not. Discuss more when you are ready, we will.”

Yoda and Windu left to allow them to discuss in the council chamber, as it was easier than clearing another room. Obi-Wan handed half the packet to her. The Syndiate, that's not ominous.

Anakin could feel the tension rising from Obi-Wan the farther he got in the file. The alpha was a faster reader than she was. His eyebrows climbed higher with each page turned.

It was a thick file for a syndicate they had little information on. Anakin soon found out why. The last half of the file detailed exactly what kind of people they admitted and how they were expected to act. The room was suddenly warm. Anakin barely stopped herself from placing her cold hands on her cheeks. Her omega warmed in her chest, pleased at who would be joining her on the mission. Traitor.

Re-reading the page, Anakin picked apart the requirements mechanically. Clothing, posture, tone, hierarchy, instincts reacting before she could process the implications. Every line buzzing just beneath her skin as she thought of the boundaries she would have to blur. It was maddening. Her omega cradling the idea and practically rumbling at the thought that it would be him. Her alp- Obi-Wan.

She glanced over at the man and found that he was already looking at her.

“Can you do this?” Obi-Wan was completely still, his scent and expression giving away nothing.

“Can you?” she shot back with no venom.

“Anakin, I am sixteen years older than you and have been in a position of direct authority over you for most of our friendship.” He took a deep breath. “Are you comfortable acting as a mated pair with me?”

The room began to heat, and sweat began to gather at the collar of her undershirt.

He had said it aloud. What she hadn’t dared to hope for. She could barely bear it.

She looked down at the flimsi still resting in her hand, not out of any overt interest in re-reading the material, but more to give her something to focus on other than the earnest concern of the alpha across from her.

Her mind rushed to the implications before she could stop it. The act, the close proximity, the pretenses; all a glimpse into something she could barely admit she wanted but knew she could never have.

How hard could it be? Pretending. She had spent half of her life holding up a mask of composure. Her steadiness before battle, her patience before the council, her joy for battle. This would be different, though. It would mean letting her mask slip a bit, just enough to be believable. It would be all too easy to fall into the role if Obi-Wan stood opposite her.

She peered up at him for a second. The alpha sat with his eyes shut and body carefully composed. Nothing given away other than some unreadable tension. Carefully positioned to let nothing in his body language influence her decisions.

Her omega purred, rumbling happily at the consideration from her former master, languidly stretching toward the bond they still shared but never talked about. Her repressed instincts tried to curl around that secret place. She restrained herself with a quiet breath, her whole body itching with the need to move.

She slid her hand a bit harsher over the flimsi than intended. A sharp jolt sliding through her thumb pulled her back to the conversation as blood welled from the cut.

Obi-Wan’s nostrils flared at the scent of her blood invading a usually safe space. There was no dust and exertion to disguise it here. His hand twitched in an aborted movement in her direction. Instead, they stilled on his own packet as he waited for her to respond, muscles taut. Ever the more patient of the duo.

“I don’t have a problem with it.” Anakin slowly locked their eyes into a charged gaze, raising her thumb to her mouth to soothe the slight sting, letting the taste of iron connect her to the moment. “I trust you, Obi-Wan.”

Her master inhaled sharply before settling his tense posture. The air between them pulled taut with the weight given to such a simple statement by the circumstances of the conversation. The words echoed around the cavernous room in complete truth.

“We need to discuss how to prepare for this,” he responded, quietly accepting the situation.

“I will have some conditions for the counsel,” she warned, “This seems like a long mission and I have a responsibility to my padawan and my men.”.

“I expect nothing less.” Obi-Wan’s eyes became fond, and he absently ran a hand through his beard. “I suppose that some of our demands will line up as well. What are you thinking?” She smiled.

“I don’t want to leave before Ahsoka is ready for the trials, and I want her to take over the 501st while I am away.” She glanced at the empty chairs circling where they had sat in the center of the room and nibbled a bit on her lip. “Do you think it will be hard to get Masters Yoda and Windu to agree?”

“No, especially because I will be backing you up on this,” Obi-Wan smiled, seemingly pleased with something. “I want Ahsoka to take over the 212th as well. The only one else I would trust will be indisposed over the course of the mission.” His eyes sparkled with mirth before simmering to something more serious. “This will take a lot of prep, Anakin.”

She nodded. “Some training as well, I have little experience with the more conservative manners they require, and I’ll have to get used to unrepressed instinct.”

Anakin was a little jealous of Obi-Wan at that moment. It was Jedi practice for omegas to take suppressants, something she wholeheartedly agreed with, but they were a bit more lax with their alpha members. Something Obi-Wan took advantage of.

The alpha’s hand returned to his beard, his expression shifting into deep thought. “We should take some time on our own to consider this.” His shoulders shifted nearly imperceptibly into his familiar guilty shape. Anakin fought the urge to roll her eyes at the man. Honestly.

“I’m sure you want to meditate on it, master.” She said indulgently. Hopefully, that would steady Obi-Wan’s resolve.

Obi-Wan stood and reflexively held out a hand to pull her up, and she let him. Her omega reading into the action even more than it usually would. Preening at his care, though he had only ever been a gentleman, and not just with her.

His hand, warm as ever against the calluses of her own, cast her mind back to the packet clutched under her arm. They wouldn't be able to speak about it properly until they returned to the council chambers or cleared another room. It was a blessing and a curse.

Anakin was becoming more restless for action as they left the room. She almost keened at the wave of want that rushed through her soul at the thought of the care and attention that her former master would be required to give her.

The details in the packet were quite clear on how attentive he would have to be. Even required to feed her by hand, at times! She violently repressed the pleased shiver from her omega at that thought. It was only a matter of time before she lost a bit of her control and embarrassed herself in front of Obi-Wan.

Would he even respond to her distress, as controlled as he was? She found herself studying Obi-Wan as they walked toward their favored dining hall. There was something anticipatory about his movement. It paired oddly with the guilty set of his shoulders and absent-minded self-soothing way he caressed his beard.

For the first time in years, she found herself unable to read the alpha. It was maddening. She didn't take well to the unknown; it made her reckless. She had to fight the urge to confront him right there. It wouldn’t help the situation. Obi-Wan was a notoriously private man, even among friends. She couldn't think of a way to resolve this.

That precipice she sensed seemed to get deeper and wider the longer she considered the mission ahead of them. It would take quite a leap of faith to allow the change.

There were many risks to the plan. It would take something extreme to justify Obi-Wan and her cutting contact with the entire Jedi order and the GAR. She wasn’t even sure that being expelled from the order would stop her from protecting her pack. Something that extreme, undoubtedly, would hurt them anyway.

There was a world where none of her current relationships would make it through the ordeal unscathed. A noise of distress lodged in her chest at the thought. Something must have shown on her face because a wave of calm was pushed through her ilicit bond with Obi-Wan.

She had been more focused on making sure that Ahsoka couldn’t tell something was wrong, that she had forgotten to corral her inner omega away from the tether between her and her former master. Blood rushed to her face, and she ducked her head a bit. Futilely attempting to hide her face behind hair coiled too tightly to move from its place at her nape.

Obi-Wan chuckled at the movement, a residual action from her Padawan days.

Notes:

See! It gets better :D

Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Decisions (Anakin)

Notes:

Thank you guys!!!!!!

Chapter 4: Decisions (Anakin)

Anakin sat in her quarters, studying the packet in greater detail and communing with the force in pseudo-meditation. She had come here first, both to give herself time to breathe and to seek out her padawan, who was nowhere to be found.

The mission was certainly something to take in. She kept alternating between reading through the packet and prowling around like a trapped animal.

Her room was small and closer to the outer walls of the Temple. The constant hum of traffic faintly coated the background of her awareness. The noise was a welcome contrast to how quiet the temple was at this hour. It extended her reality beyond what she could just see. It was a bit soothing, only a bit.

Unable to focus on the words in front of her, Anakin shot up to pace again. Suddenly the room began to close in on her; walls became darker as her hands shook. Anakin hid the packet before she could tear it and felt her way out of her bedroom.

The common area between Ahsoka and her rooms wasn’t much better, but she had no desire to enter the rest of the Jedi Temple either. She began to pace furiously in front of the small sofa they were permitted. Absently pulling strands of hair from the knot at her neck.

The stress was beginning to wear away at the scent blockers she always wore, and the sharp tang of nervous omega swept through the apartment just before Ahsoka stepped through the door.

The young padawan took a breath, and her eyes widened in alarm. Ahsoka froze by the door. Her arms twitching toward the seating area.

“Master?” Ahsoka cautiously approached the area she was vigorously stalking. “Is something on your mind?”

Anakin needed to think on the fly. She had already decided in her heart to go on the mission she had been presented with. For once, Obi-Wan was the ‘wild card’. A novel idea.

“I had a dream.” Anakin paused, part for dramatics, part for time to think. “I am trying to meditate on it, you know how well that usually goes for me.”Ahsoka squinted for a moment then just rolled her eyes.

“Since when do you take an Obi-Wan approach to things? Let's spar it out.” Anakin smiled. She had the sudden urge to hold her Padawan.

“It is late, Snips, it's been a long day. Let’s channel Obi-Wan a bit more and have some tea.” With an attempt at her usual grin, she walked over to the small kitchen in their quarters.

In the back of their cabinets was an unopened box of one of Obi-Wan’s preferred blends and a small tea set that was only ever used when the older man visited. Anakin thought back to Obi-Wan making the tea for her. Her omega purred at the image.

Shaking her head, she pulled out the set and went about the unfamiliar motions of brewing tea. Ahsoka sat down, staring at the unusual sight.

“You smell, nervous, Master,” the tone was cautious. Anakin turned around to stare at the togruta, box of tea still in her hands. She lifted a wrist to her nose.

“That’s stronger than I thought it would be,” she smiled at her padawan before turning back to the tea.

“I’m just saying that if you are sweating through the blockers you use religiously, there is something you’re not telling me.” The sour smell spiked, and there was a clink as Anakin set down a teacup too harshly on the counter. A bit of scalding water splashed on her metal arm.

“That is why I was meditating, Snips.” Ahsoka rolled her eyes.

“Meditating never works for you, you need to be doing something. Everyone knows that.”

Anakin brought over the tea and sat down across from her padawan. Taking a teacup, she observed Ahsoka. A wave of grief flowed over her as suddenly as lightning. She had to push it down quickly to stop it from leaking into her scent.

She would have to leave her padawan. Their partnership would have traditionally been for at least five more years. She would have to abandon her.

Resolve quickly followed the grief. She would do everything to make sure that Ahsoka would be prepared. Anakin felt it in her bones.

She took a breath, soothing her Omega, and picked up the cooling tea in front of her. Ahsoka’s hands almost knocked her own cup over as she hurried to follow suit.

“My dream has me worried, Snips.” Anakin took a sip of the tea. Obi-Wan’s was better. “I want to accelerate your training.”

Ahsoka stilled. Her lekku twitched slightly, giving away the turmoil so clearly displayed in her eyes. Her hands trembled a bit as she carefully set down the cup.

“Master,” Ahsoka’s voice fell to a whisper, “What’s going on?” When Anakin didn’t respond immediately, she continued. “I ran into Obi-Wan on the way over, and he was acting off too.” Interesting. Ahsoka hadn’t known Obi-Wan for nearly as long as Anakin had and was still able to sense something. She was proud of the young woman.

“Just a feeling,” Anakin aimed for a lighter tone, but could tell it fell short. Ahsoka’s frown confirmed that. “It would do you good regardless.”

“If you say so, Master,” she acquiesced, clearly not convinced. Her Padawan had come a long way these past four years. Anakin gave a quiet smile to her padawan and sipped her tea again.

They sat in silence for a bit longer, and she soaked in the presence of the young woman she had mentored. The youngest of her pack.

When Ahsoka excused herself for the evening, Anakin stayed awake long after. She sat in their common area revisiting the memories kept there. A tear rolled down her cheek, bringing her back to the present.

As she finally laid down for the evening, her attention kept shifting toward where she had hidden the packet. Her omega tumbling about in unease, demanding her focus. Unable to calm it in the face of upheaval, Anakin began to build a nest, the first in years. Only then could she sleep.

 

She woke up slowly. Stretching out and feeling her hands through the soft pillows, cloaks, and blankets surrounding her. Anakin turned her face into a cloak that smelled more comforting than the rest and rubbed her wrist over it to mingle the scents.

Her eyes shot open.

Anakin had been nuzzling and scenting one of Obi-Wan’s cloaks he had accidentally left in her apartment. She was scenting an alpha’s cloak while in her nest. Her face rapidly flushed at her loss of control.

It took more effort than she cared to admit when she deconstructed her nest. Her omega cringed with every item she carefully placed in her cabinets. She had to almost trick her omega into accepting the situation by placing each item she put away with the same care she took assembling the structure.

Even worse, she couldn't return Obi-Wan’s cloak now, even though it had been in her closet for a few months, waiting to be given back. The moment he smelled it, he would know she had used it to nest, and she refused to embarrass herself further.

Finally finished with the nest, Anakin reached up and fell into several different poses meant to keep her body flexible. It irked her to find that they were easier than normal after sleeping like that.

After she showered and applied her blockers for the day, Anakin braved the common area. Ahsoka was sitting at the table, already digging into one of the pre-made meals they kept on hand for when they were too busy to cook and didn't care for the number of people that would be in one of the dining halls.

“Mornin’ Snips.” Anakin yawned, despite having been up for an hour and a half.

Ahsoka looked pensive. As if she were logging everything Anakin said or did for further analysis.

“Morning, Master. You’re up later than usual.” She responded with a teasing tone. “Any special instructions for me today? Since you’ve accelerated my training.” Anakin had to pause and think. She couldn’t train her padawan today because she had to finish deep-reading the packet and meet the Council to give her formal acceptance.

“I want you to spar with as many Jedi as you can today. I won’t be able to train you today as I have a meeting to prep for and I also want you to fight against a variety of styles.”

Ahsoka nodded seriously, and smiled at her.

“Good luck with the Council, Master.” Anakin smiled back at her as she left to find someone to challenge.

Just as she was sipping her caff after breakfast, a knock tapped on her door. Anakin was unsurprised to find Rex’s face waiting behind it.

“General, is there a place I can report?” The man looked around curiously. He had never been to her apartment despite having worked with her for around four years. But then, she hadn’t ever run off without much communication and then left her comm unanswered for more than 24-hours. It was no wonder he seeked her out.

She stepped to the side, gesturing to the table where the cup of caff was still steaming. Rex nodded and moved efficiently to the table scanning the room and setting a datapad on it.

“Caff?” Anakin asked, scooping up her cup for another sip. Rex shook his head, and she settled in front of him.

“I brought you the details on troop transfers and supply restock.” He pushed the datapad toward her. The move was so casual. Anakin found a small smile rising as she took the offered information.

There was nothing out of the ordinary, the numbers of the new clones and the details on medical and other necessary supplies. She glanced over the edge of the datapad at Rex.

“Do you have a training schedule worked up for the new men?” He nodded. “Good, instead of me training them to deal with a saber-wielder, I will leave that with Ahsoka.” Rex’s eyebrows rose in question. Anakin felt fondness well up in her at the expression. It soured.

This man was as dear to her as a brother. Anakin would be repaying this by lying to him consistently until Obi-Wan and she could make a clean escape. She would effectively be undercover among her own men until she left.

Her omega keened at the thought, and her shoulders curled almost imperceptibly. Only the thought that this would ultimately protect her pack soothed the hurt.

Carefully, Anakin straightened up and refocused on Rex. He was looking at her intently.

“General?” Kriff, he noticed that. She both loved and hated how perceptive the man was.

“Just a bad feeling, I’ve been having them lately, so I’m accelerating Ahsoka’s training,” she bluffed. Her omega winced at the lie.

“Of course, General. I will update the training logs once you work out an acceptable schedule for her.” All business, even when he’s suspicious.

“Thank you, Rex.” The man nodded and shot her a weighted glance as he took his leave.

It didn’t take Anakin long to prepare to face the temple proper. She made a quick pit stop to check the state of her blockers and to knot her hair tightly at the base of her neck in her preferred style. The most difficult thing was actually walking out the door; but, after several deep breaths, she managed.

She felt the relaxation left over from the nest that morning seeping out with every step. Slowly being replaced with a tight anxiousness as the light traffic sounds slowly disappeared.

As Anakin stalked toward the council chambers, she caught the faint trace of Obi-Wan’s scent. It was a bit subdued, per usual, but that only added to the tenseness that coiled throughout her body. The man himself was clearly poised like he wanted to speak with her, urgently. She swallowed dryly at the thought. Mind coming up with all the worst-case scenarios it could.

“Did you sleep?” he asked, and Anakin almost blushed violently, looking away just in time to calm her cheeks. Force, of all questions he could ask.

“Just fine, you?” she peered at Obi-Wan. He looked composed, but only on the surface. His frame was tense, and his eyes too focused. It wouldn’t be odd for his current expression to appear on the battlefield.

Obi-Wan was studying her more intently than he ever had in the past. It unnerved her.

“Not at all,” he chuckled, eyes lightening at his quip. Their stilted conversation was not meant to be. The small light turned on and Anakin found herself ushered into the chamber, her master at her back.

Once again, only Masters Yoda and Windu were in the room. Once again, Obi-Wan remained at her side, forgoing the seat he was entitled to. Her omega purred at this.

“Looked over this mission, have you?” The Grandmaster’s expression was as serious as at the last meeting. He continued without waiting for a response.

“Make a decision, you must.” Anakin was determined not to speak first. The nature of the mission was important, and they were the most capable of accomplishing it. Still, Anakin firmly believed that her capability in this assignment existed only in a world where Obi-Wan was with her. She would not accept unless he did.

“I have decided to accept the mission,” Obi-Wan said in his low, calm tone.

Her omega settled instantly. Curling up where it sat in her chest. A real-life purr almost escaped her throat.

Anakin choked it back. This shouldn’t be happening. Obi-Wan is her former master and best friend. The Code forbids attachment! The moment she gave in to her instincts would be the moment she would lose him. She couldn’t lose Obi-Wan.

Before anyone could read into her silence, Anakin allowed herself to voice her acceptance as well. The relief returned as she did. There is no one she trusted more at her side for such a mission than Obi-Wan. Unconsciously, Anakin observed her force bond with the man and let the situation sink in. It would be a challenge, but she wouldn’t be alone.

Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Preparations (Anakin)

Notes:

I was literally cackling while writing this! Enjoy !!!!!!!

Chapter 5: Preparations (Anakin)

Anakin and Obi-Wan sat across from each other in her quarters on The Resolute. There was a heavy silence between them. They had cleared both of their rooms of anything with microphones, but had decided to discuss the plan going forward in Anakin’s rooms.

“It would be best to practice as much as possible in private.” Anakin nodded, the rules she had been studying the past few days were a bit foreign to her.

“Of course, Alpha,” she laughed at how caught off guard the man looked. He looked startled, both at the deference in her tone and the title that left her lips. Obi-Wan sighed.

“We should make a plan first, Anakin.” She shot her former master a small smile, silently urging him to continue.

“I am going to need the least amount of prep for this. We should go at your pace.” He looked at her earnestly, eyes encouraging her to take over. “What do you think will take the most work for you?”

She considered him carefully; her omega warmed in her chest like it often did when she was with Obi-Wan. She pulled out the packet.

“We have just over a year to get everything in order. It’s not a bad length of time to change how the public thinks we look.” She reflexively brought a hand to tap her chin in thought. “So that should be a starting priority. But we have already set that up a bit.”

Her eyes flickered back over to Obi-Wan. He looked as if he were trying to memorize the moment. His expression was so intense in his serenity that it threw her heart off rhythm. She blushed.

“As for the training, I think I will have the most trouble with the social aspect of things.” Obi-Wan did not look surprised; if anything, he looked a bit amused. She would have been disappointed in him if he had been thrown by that.

Anakin grinned at him. “We don’t have to start that today, though.”

“But we should talk about it.” His tone was softer than usual, but it fit well into the atmosphere that was building in the room. There was a steadiness to it that made her feel like his first priority, and it was thrilling.

“I want things to be as clear as possible so I don’t step over any lines.” Uncharacteristically, Obi-Wan appeared to center himself visibly. “People don’t naturally assume a bond; they’re going to expect physical closeness.”

The Force between them felt like a live wire. Anakin felt the need to stand and begin to pace at its intensity. But, she commanded herself to be still and think clearly.

“You may need more practice with that, Master.” She grinned up at the man, “You are famously quite reserved.” It took some effort to lighten her tone in the face of such an intense atmosphere; however, she felt that if nothing changed, she would lose control and embarrass herself.

Obi-Wan simply raised an eyebrow at her.

“Anything you are comfortable with is what we will do, Master.” She slipped effortlessly into planning mode once the tension broke. “We need to appear mated. Small consistent touches will be a must, and we will need to scent each other throughout the day to keep up the facade.” She let her gaze intensify on the man who was giving her his entire attention.

When he gestured for her to continue, she picked up the packet that had been resting on the small table between them.

“We should also take some meals in private to practice the etiquette for that.” Her cheeks were warming despite her best efforts. “And, we should become comfortable addressing each other by both our titles and aliases, whenever possible.”

Obi-Wan’s hand twitched in an aborted movement to his face. His expression grew more pensive at whatever he was contemplating.

“What about your suppressants?” If it were any other situation, Anakin would be a bit offended by the question. It was a necessary one though.

“I won’t be able to stop taking them until after we leave, so we should aim to give me a few weeks to get a handle on the increased instincts.” Obi-Wan nodded.

“I will be the one to make public appearances to establish our cover before that, then.” He shifted forward in his seat, expression forming into one of serious focus, “We should have some signals. For when things become too much.”

“A tug on the hair with the force?” Anakin suggested.

“We need a codeword as well,” Obi-Wan’s voice was firm, “We can decide that later. We need to go over more expectations.” Anakin decided to let her master take point on this; he was always better at this aspect of politics.

“In public, I will be expected to be your voice in multi-dynamic conversations,” She kept her mouth shut, if only to prove that she could. “I will also be expected to punish you if you break protocols.”

Obi-Wan’s jaw was tense enough to be able to tell under the beard. Anakin had to restrain herself from reaching out to rub the muscle. It was a near thing with her omega wanting to soothe his distress.

“Only in public,” he gritted out, “We need a way to balance this in private.” Anakin let him pause and collect himself in silence.

“Clear areas of privacy and allowing you to take point on most things on planning.” Anakin’s smile grew at that, Obi-Wan always had a high opinion of her planning skills. It was a relief to see that carry over to this.

“We should practice, Master. To get a baseline on where we are.” Anakin stood up and put away the chair that she had been sitting on. Obi-Wan moved to follow suit but just stood when she held up a hand.

“Alright, Anakin.” His shoulders tensed up a bit as Anakin moved to stand closer to him.

She placed herself slightly in front of his left side, close enough to feel the heat of his arm behind her. Her posture was smaller than usual, pulling in her commanding personality to let Obi-Wan be the obvious target. A big hand was placed at the small of her back and began to guide her forward.

Her omega shivered pleasantly at the contact, heating up almost into a purr. Anakin took a steadying breath, this would be her new life during the mission, she couldn’t let it affect her this much.

“This way, dearest,” He rumbled quietly, and she melted on the inside. Dearest. The steady heat of that hand keeping her grounded to the moment.

“Yes, Alpha.” she replied in equal quietness. Obi-Wan’s breath stuttered a bit.

Anakin allowed herself to be maneuvered around the quarters, taking her cues from the changes in pressure at her back. However, when Obi-Wan guided her to the remaining chair, clearly intent on allowing her to take the seat, Anakin moved to kneel by the chair instead.

Obi-Wan froze. His controlled scent spiking with shock. It was so startling to her that she found she couldn’t speak for a moment.

“Anakin,” He almost whined, an air of shocked horror taking over his form. Anakin's eyes widened.

“Alpha?” The man collapsed into the chair, head cradled in his hands. “This is what would be expected. It’s why I put away the other chair.” Kriff, she was rambling uselessly, “to test this scenario.” she looked at her hands in her lap and Obi-Wan let out a noise of distress.

He shot up quickly and walked over to where she had stored the other chair. Clutching the back of it like a lifeline as he placed it beside her. A silent demand to get off the floor.

Anakin settled cautiously into the seat. Turning herself carefully to observe the older man as he physically collapsed into the chair he had practically jumped out of.

“Obi-Wan?” His eyes shot to hers at the address. “What happened?” she whispered. Obi-Wan’s silence left her to observe him for a long moment.

His face was twisted in a way she had never seen before. Obi-Wan’s eyes looked haunted, like he had witnessed something that shouldn't exist in his reality. This was the first time that he had lost his composure in front of her. It was jarring.

Inside her chest, her omega was wailing for her to make it better. To pull the man back to a nest and keep him safe. Anakin thought that might torment her former master even more. She was at a loss.

“I’m sorry, Anakin,” the words sounded like they weighed tons for all the effort it took to speak them. “We might need to work up to that point.” That was an understatement.

“It is hard for me to see you like that,” His scent spiked again, “You are a general.”

“Not to them, Obi-Wan,” Her arms twitched towards the man as his face soured again. “Maybe this should be our priority?”

Obi-Wan did not look happy at that, but he was steadily regaining his composure, so she took it as a win.

“Would it be okay if I sat on the floor instead of kneeling for now?” He still looked unsure. “You will be expected to take the chair if only one is offered. I won’t call you anything other than your name until you are ready for it ”

Obi-Wan gave a shallow nod and she slipped to the floor in a way more appropriate for meditation. Carefully aligning her limbs to make herself simply exist instead of becoming deferential.

Careful eyes followed every move and Anakin’s cheeks warmed again. Obi-Wan was intense in his care after the distressing scene a few minutes before.

“You okay, Obi-Wan?” Her tone was carefully neutral. Obi-Wan stared at her, taking in her body language and feeling her out in the force. Anakin was careful to radiate serenity and trust.

He carefully nodded, apparently uncomfortable talking at that moment. Needing her to continue the meeting.

“I think we should figure out that codeword today, Obi-Wan.” Anakin paused, fingers tapping at her knees in thought. “Maybe Rex or Cody? We shouldn’t need to give their names while undercover.” Obi-Wan accepted easily. “Qui-Gon for when we’re in private”

Obi-Wan finally collected himself. His posture becoming pristine and his head finally leaving its defensive tilt.

“I need to work on this as much as possible, Anakin” His voice came out a bit rough with emotion. She sent him what she hoped was a soothing smile.

“I understand, we should take one meal a day to work on this. Would you be more comfortable working on this in your space?” Obi-wan quickly shook his head.

“No, it needs to be yours,” a little urgency leaked into his tone and she quickly agreed.

“Okay, we'll work it between Ahsoka’s training sessions.”

The Force relaxed from the constant thrum it had been the moment Anakin stood up to hide the packet again. Obi-Wan's figure smoothed out the last of its tension as he observed her movements from where he sat. She made sure to show him clearly where she had hidden the item before they rejoined the rest of the ship.

Obi-Wan hovered at her shoulder the rest of the afternoon. Her omega purring to itself at the care he showed even in discomfort. For once, Anakin let a bit of it show, hoping to soothe her master just a bit more.

Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Training (Ahsoka)

Summary:

Happy Holliday's everyone!! I delayed this weeks upload so that so I could give y'all a gift on the day :D

Chapter 6: Training (Ahsoka)

(6 months into accelerated training)

Blaster bolts sprayed around her, but Ahsoka felt nothing but calm. Rex and his men were firing stunning bolts at her with as much speed and accuracy as they could. She spun her twin blades around her body elegantly, reaching into the force to guide the sabers toward bolts she couldn’t see.

This month, she hadn’t been grazed yet, and she didn’t intend to break her streak today. The air hummed with the energy she harmlessly disrupted. The goal wasn't to deflect the bolts back just yet. She was to wait for her master’s permission to do that. Something about not ending the fight early.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ahsoka saw her master toss a flag into the air. Keeping her blades moving, she used the force to bring it where she could easily catch it. Once it was in her hand, she began to deflect back to the men surrounding her. It wasn’t long before she and her master were the only ones awake.

Just as Ahsoka was about to turn off her blades, the Force suddenly stilled. She fell into a ready stance just in time to block the blade coming at her from behind. Spinning around, she came face to face with Obi-Wan. Where did he come from?

Between fending off the man’s attacks, Ahsoka checked in with her master. Anakin looked serene, like she was meditating on the fight, cataloging her and Obi-Wan’s every move. Nothing in her face said to stop the spar, so Ahsoka upped the ante.

She transitioned smoothly from a mostly defensive style to the more reckless form her master was known for. Obi-Wan anticipated this. His defenses shored up the moment she changed tactics.

The fight went on for what seemed like hours, but could have been no longer than a few minutes. Ahsoka jumped around a defensive Obi-Wan with ease. Doing her best to land a strike on him with no success.

The man was a Jedi Master for a reason. Just as the first clones began waking, Ahsoka was disarmed. She automatically brought her hands to a defensive position.

She went to drop her fists, but something made her wait. She was right to do so. Obi-Wan made no moves to return her sabers to her, nor did he power down his own. He calmly clipped both of them to his belt and resumed a defensive stance.

Ahsoka watched the man warily. She had fought hand-to-hand with Anakin before, but never in a situation where only one of them had a lightsaber. Slowly, they circled each other, waiting for the other to make the first move.

Her immediate instinct was to jump forward and try to claim an advantage, but Obi-Wan was an excellent defender. She would likely end up with burn marks if she tried that. Ahsoka resigned herself to patience and looked for an opening.

There! Anakin made a surprised noise, and Obi-Wan turned toward her momentarily. Not wanting to give up this gift, Ahsoka lunged. Decreasing the distance between them and using the force at the same time to attempt reclaiming her sabers.

They grappled for a moment. Ahsoka wedged herself into the older alpha’s space. Striking him to disorient and positioning herself in a way that made it difficult for him to hit her. She had only managed one blade by the time Obi-Wan created distance between them again.

“Stop!” Anakin called out.

They both froze. Had Anakin intended to use that instinctual tone?

She stepped forward between the still ignited sabers, steps gentle against the durasteel floor. Anakin’s body language radiated grace, a smooth stalk similar to a large tooka. Her eyes had a sharp, intense quality that was fully focused on her former master.

Obi-Wan’s gaze was fixed intently on Anakin, eyes flashing with a different quality. The woman gave him a small smile before turning her focus away.

Obi-Wan’s nostrils flared a bit, almost instinctually, before he returned her sabers with a bow. He murmured something about discussing the duel later and stalked out of the room.

Everything that had changed about her mentors became more obvious in small moments like these. It was a slow shift in appearance, one that was compounded by a separatist computer virus wiping out a bunch of Jedi-related media.

Even Ahsoka didn’t have a photo of her Master before her face and hair were cut up in a short stint as a prisoner to General Grievous. Her alpha rolled despondently at the memory. That had been the start of all these strange behaviors from her mentors.

“Ahsoka,” Anakin called that serene quality she had adopted lately. “You did well. All your forms need is consistent practice, so I think you are ready for the next phase of your training.” Her master tapped a few commands into a datapad before gesturing for her to follow.

Ahsoka followed her unusually quiet master as she led them toward one of the barracks.

“Ahsoka, meet again, Rex’s Platoon.” Anakin stepped to the side dramatically. “Rex’s Platoon, meet your new commander, Ahsoka Tano.” The clones saluted her before going about their business. Anakin and Rex grinned at her.

“Snips, you are going to take over leadership of this platoon from me. You are going to be acting as if my orders are from the Council, you are a General, and Rex is your marshal commander.” Anakin paused as if there would be questions before continuing.

“I want you to work as a team and run missions that I will give you. There is no one I trust more to have your back while you learn larger-scale leadership than Rex.” With those words, she almost glided away.

Rex had his head tilted oddly as they watched Anakin leave.

“You see it too, Rex?” He nodded, passing her the datapad he had been holding. Moving straight to business.

“That is your platoon.” She turned it on. The information was separated into several folders.

“That is your roster, all your supplies, schedules, and basic mission structures. For training purposes.” They began to walk over to one of the vacant tables around the room.

“You’re probably familiar with a lot of this from training with the general. But we’ll probably start you on some dilemma training exercises. She planned for you to take over during a lul in the fighting so you could get some solid footing.”

Ahsoka smiled at that. Her master showed her care in these ways.

Rex pointed at two folders.

“These are pure bureaucracy, You’ll have to look at these and practice filling them out. The general still holds the responsibility for these but she wants you to get the full experience.” Rex allowed her time to skim all the different forms she would have to understand.

“Wonderful,” she muttered under her breath. Rex chuckled at the sentiment.

“What you will be primarily concerned with at the moment is the schedules. As our new commander you need to approve them.”

Ahsoka switched to that tab. There were a few different schedules, so she chose the duties rotation first.

At a first glance it seemed fine. “Has this been the schedule you have been using?”

“No, this is a proposed schedule.”

“Well, I can’t approve it. There is a work imbalance and some clones are never off duty.” Rex grinned at her.

“Of course, commander. We will discard the proposal. You will effectively be the last line of approval from now on.”

Ahsoka clicked through a few more schedules taking particular note of the training schedules.

“Are there any particular squads that need more rest, restraint, or encouragement?” The Marshal seemed almost proud of the question.

He clicked a button that took her to squad profiles. There were extensive behavioral notes. Work ethic, team cohesion, loyalties, everything she could think of was commented on.

“Thank you, Rex.” Ahsoka sighed. This was going to be more complicated than she thought.

“Commander,”Rex smoothly cut off her negative spiral. “You can lean on us. The general thinks you are ready for this stage in training and frankly I agree. But remember, this is still training.” He made sure she kept her full attention on his words.

“You are still learning, it’s okay to be overwhelmed. That’s why the General placed you with me. So I can support you.” Rex’s surety calmed her a bit, and she was able to refocus on the tasks in front of her.

Their comms lit up.

“Please report to the war room for a briefing.”

It didn't take them long to get to the room, and they were unsurprised to find Anakin and Obi-Wan already there. They were however taken aback by how they found them.

Her mentors were stood off to the side of the room standing very close together. Anakin looked to be very relaxed, leaning back against the wall, her neck arched back in an effort to look at the taller man. She appeared to be very pleased with whatever Obi-Wan was practically whispering to her.

She and Rex were quickly spotted by the woman, who kicked off the wall. She made no move to go around Obi-Wan as she strode forward. The man smoothly moved out of the way and followed her toward the holo-map.

As they all settled around it, Cody and Appo appeared.

“I will be leaving for a bit over a month on a covert mission.” Obi-Wan began the meeting. “Command of the 212th shall temporarily fall to Anakin, while I am away.”

There was an uncharacteristic pause in his speech. He looked around the room, eyes lingering on Anakin for a beat longer than everyone else. She gave an odd flick of her head at that moment.

“Additionally, Anakin has entrusted Rex and his platoons to Ahsoka’s command.” Anakin shifted her weight forward a bit, looking intensely at Obi-Wan. His voice sounded more grounded at her attention. “Ahsoka, you should be in all meetings that are supposed to be for generals.” She nodded, that made sense.

“All this goes into effect tomorrow morning, when I leave. Any questions?” No one came forward. “You are all dismissed.”

Only Anakin and Obi-Wan moved to leave. They walked close together and Ahsoka could have sworn she saw Obi-Wan’s hand make an aborted move toward her master’s back.

“You all saw that, right?” Rex broke the ice. Everyone nodded at various intensities. What was going on with those two?

Notes:

This might be a good break for sleep/water/food/etc. :D

take care of yourselves!

Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Building a Foundation (Obi-Wan)

Summary:

Two chapters!! in one day!!! **gasp**

Chapter 7: Building a Foundation (Obi-Wan)

(4 months after Ahsoka took over Rex’s platoon)

There was a calm to just sitting in hyperspace that had evaded him while planetside. Perhaps it was the solitude that had been rare as of late.

Obi-Wan pulled his focus inward to start a meditative trance. The mission had run long. It had taken more effort to infiltrate and overthrow the Ellisar family while ensuring no one was the wiser.

He cast his thoughts back to the Force; he was supposed to be meditating. Obi-Wan was unsuccessful. His mind replayed the eventual ease with which he played his role. The guilt kept trying to crawl up his throat at his actions.

The Ellisars were known for their harsh punishments and secrecy. This was something Obi-Wan had needed to keep up with religiously at the beginning of the mission. It continued to make his skin crawl whenever he remembered what he had ordered his men to do. It would be a slow march to reduce the brutality without compromising the power of their cover.

Obi-Wan found his patience fraying after the long months undercover. Taking a page out of Anakin’s book, he stood up to pace. His scent began to flare around the small ship. Frustration oozed from his pores.

He is a Jedi Master! He should be able to meditate. With some effort, Obi-Wan pulled in his scent. The air recyclers quickly purged the lingering notes of frustration.

The remaining hour before he dropped out of hyperspace was spent centering himself. Obi-Wan carefully reconstructed his control of his instincts. The closer he was to his return, the more relaxed his Alpha felt. His meditation became more successful as his Alpha calmed.

Obi-Wan was only able to fall into a trance for a few minutes before the computer beeped loudly enough to break his concentration. There wasn’t much he needed to do before dropping out of hyperspace, so he took the time to make sure that all his scars were in the right places. There was something steadying about applying the disguise again. The feeling unnerved him.

The Resolute was a welcome sight, as was the lack of visible damage on the destroyer. He was quickly granted landing clearance, and the familiar hum of the docking bay filled his awareness.

The first person Obi-Wan saw as he disembarked was Cody. The Marshal’s shoulders relaxed a bit when they made eye contact.

“General Skywalker is in a briefing right now. She wants you to know that you can join if you don’t need medical.” Obi-Wan nodded at the report.

“We should have an officers' meeting once she is done as well.” The Force calmed even more at his statement, but Obi-Wan found himself a bit jarred by the immediate acceptance of his order. He had to remind himself where he was.

“She agrees. I was told to bring it up if you didn’t, sir.” Cody grinned at him as they turned to leave the bay.

Obi-Wan fell into habit, pulling his posture up into a more haughty pose before catching himself. He paused for a moment, letting the entitlement wash off his figure. His steps became more solid on the durasteel deck as he continued forward.

There was a comforting chaos in the halls of The Resolute. Obi-Wan found that he had missed the steady noise of everyday duties required of a star destroyer. Even more so, the way his alpha settled as the clones didn't flinch when he walked by. There were only nods of respect as he passed, not of blind submission.

A steady force signature, bright as the sun, pinged his senses. Obi-Wan found himself reaching toward his bond with Anakin almost instinctively. There was a drive to make sure she was steady that he had to tamp down. He found himself idly comparing the presence to the one he had left behind four months prior.

Anakin felt sure, like an island in the face of a storm. More controlled than before. There was an undercurrent of anticipation that he rarely felt from the woman, as careful with the bond as she was.

Obi-Wan found himself hesitating outside the war room. Anakin was on the other side of the durasteel door. He found himself nervous to join her again. Missing her felt different this time. Something about that made him feel a bit guilty.

He hit the button before he could overthink things more and slipped into the room. Smoothing over his robes, Obi-Wan moved to stand to Anakin’s right. He had to stop his hand from raising to rest on her hip.

Out of the corner of his eye, Obi-Wan saw Anakin’s face soften a bit. She tilted her head away, bearing her neck slightly before refocusing on the holographic Mace Windu that took up the table in front of them.

Cody passed him a datapad as he settled into one of the chairs behind them. Glancing down, Obi-Wan saw some intelligence reports on the Savareen sector. They were to have a presence in the area to stop a Separatist deal from going through on Savareen.

“There have been some concerning reports from Christophsis as well. I will be meeting you in the sector with the 187th in about six weeks.” Anakin opened her mouth to respond, but Obi-Wan beat her to it.

“Of course, Master Windu, I assume you’ll want to go over things in person when you arrive.” Windu arched an eyebrow at the interruption.

“Yes. That will be all.” The holo cut off, and everyone was staring at him. Anakin gently tapped his arm and tilted her head toward a corner of the room away from the assembled officers. He allowed himself to be gently guided away.

Anakin placed herself in the corner and gazed up at him. His alpha steadied at the easily defendable position.

“Are you okay, Obi-Wan?” Her eyes were steady. “You seem a bit off today,” he felt Anakin’s hand rest over his heart, hidden from the rest of the room. “We can move the officers' meeting to tomorrow if you want.”

Obi-Wan shook his head, finding himself unable to speak for a moment. He couldn’t believe he had cut her off like that. He needed to get back in control of himself. The hand on his chest increased pressure for a second, grounding him.

“No, you should lead the meeting, though.” Obi-Wan fought the urge to slump forward to rest his forehead on her shoulder and breathe in her barely there scent. “ I am not acting like a General right now.” Anakin’s face softened even more.

“I can retain control over the 212th while you get your feet under you.” She suggested. There was little urgency in the tone, like they were discussing trivial matters.

Obi-Wan pressed forward into the hand, eyes locked to hers. He felt toward their force bond. He was met by a steadyinig energy. Anakin was the picture of calm concern. Even now, she radiated serenity and waited for his answer.

“I may need a few days,” he admitted.

Her thumb began to make small circles where it rested. Obi-Wan found it suddenly difficult not to scent her. The moment passed. Her hand dropped back to her side, and he let her pass him to begin the meeting.

Instead of listening to Anakin’s announcements, Obi-Wan found himself cataloging the expressions of the people in the room. A few of the higher-ranked clones kept giving him odd looks. Anakin was all steady command, but even she kept glancing toward him as if she were checking in. Making sure he was still with her.

Despite his return, no one seemed surprised that Anakin would be retaining full command for a bit longer. His alpha let out a quiet rumble at how well Anakin was handling things. It startled him. He was slipping again.

The meeting was over before he re-centered himself again. He hadn’t even noticed the room empty. Only Anakin and he were left in the room.

He allowed her to usher him back to her quarters in silence. Obi-Wan had to fight the urge to reach out toward her the entire walk there. His instincts were screaming at him to bask in the comfort she could give him. Something unnamed held him back.

“This room is still clear,” She said, pulling off their comms and shoving them in a bag.

Obi-Wan automatically sat in the lone chair, and Anakin moved to kneel by him. Her movement was so practiced, he wondered if she had used the chair at all while he was gone. His mouth felt dry. None of the horror he originally felt at seeing her like this was present.

He had gotten used to it.

“Obi-Wan, do you need a minute?” When he didn’t respond, Anakin pulled out a datapad to fiddle with.

What should he say?

He looked down at Anakin. She had most of her focus on the pad in her lap. Her short hair was falling out of the clips she used to keep it out of her face. She absently chewed at one of the scars pasted on her face.

“It is difficult to control my instincts after so short a time letting them free…” Obi-Wan trailed off, not sure why he had started with that, and brushed his hand against one of his own pasted scars.

They sat in silence for a bit. With Anakin in front of him, Obi-Wan found it easier to smooth out his tenseness.

He couldn't put into words what was happening to him. All the control he had crafted over nearly 30 years of being a Jedi was slipping away from him because of this one mission. He tried to let his frustration and confusion into the force, but something he couldn’t understand held onto them.

“My mission was successful, even if it took longer than expected.” Anakin moved her complete focus onto him.

Obi-Wan almost choked at the intensity of it. “I have established our aliases,” His voice became smaller, “We will have to do a great deal we don’t agree with.”

Anakin’s face displayed nothing but understanding at him.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there with you.” She didn’t push further, simply letting her words rest in the air. The force pulsed between them in a pleasant rhythm. Obi-Wan found his control crumbling again.

“Thane Ellisar is a cruel man. It was difficult to portray that.” He bit out, bitterly. Anakin pinned him still with a look, radiating power despite her physical location at the moment.

“I will be there to share in your agony, Obi-Wan.” Her tone left little to argue with. Demanding that he accept her determination. He was nodding his acceptance at the words before he realized it.

Anakin only hummed pleasantly at his response. She allowed him a minute to collect his control off the floor.

His alpha was of little help in the process, pacing back and forth in his chest.

Instead of focusing on the Force, he found himself observing Anakin as he calmed himself. He took in every motion of her being. His physical awareness of her mixed with his perception of the Living Force causing her skin to glow for a second. He was entranced, and his instincts settled.

Seemingly satisfied with what she observed of his condition, Anakin spoke again.

“Master Windu and I have come up with a plan that will allow us to leave.” Obi-Wan leaned forward at that. Taking in the conflicted but accomplished expression on her face. He knew neither of them would like what they would have to do.

“We are going to fake our deaths, publicly.”

Chapter 8: Chapter 8: The Show at Christophsis (Anakin)

Notes:

Back to the regular schedule for posting <3
Thank you for all the love over obi-wan's chapter!!!!
(It took me twice as long to write)

Chapter 8: The Show at Christophsis (Anakin)

“Is everything ready?” Obi-Wan asked just loud enough not to be overheard by the collection of officers across the war room. Anakin had pulled Master Windu aside so they could confirm their secondary plans for the assault on Christophsis. The man had been near unreachable in his preparations over the last few days.

“Yes,” his reply was equally quiet, and Anakin found herself observing the rest of the room as she listened to some of the finer details. She wanted to photograph this moment of calm before the storm.

A wave of melancholy consumed her for a beat before being replaced by the tense but resigned feeling that had been predominant lately. Anakin was aware that her Padawan knew that something was wrong. She was having a lot of difficulty not blurting out the whole situation to her.

Her omega was whimpering pathetically at the thought of the upheaval that would soon be sent at the young woman. They would both be in a great deal of pain by the end of the day. Emotionally, if not physically. It was difficult to keep up her confident posture, but Anakin pushed through her instincts. She needed to move.

Excusing herself from the conversation, Anakin left to oversee troop movements and preparation. Standing in the observation deck, alone, she allowed herself to rest her forehead on the edge of the control display. After today, her life would be even more of a deception than as of late.

She allowed herself a moment of weakness. A strangled noise left her throat as she mourned her life as it was. Her scent began to bleed through her blockers, and she pulled a little packet of the gel off her belt.

Obi-Wan walked in as she was smoothing it over her wrists. His eyes watched her carefully as she collected herself.

“Are you ready for this, Anakin?” His voice was carefully measured.

“As ready as,” Her breath hitched a bit, and she looked back towards where Ahsoka was expertly directing clone traffic. “As ready as I can be.” They let the silence stretch between them. A moment of shared grief.

“Force, I know she’s ready for this. Was it this difficult when I first became a knight, Obi-Wan?” The man paused to consider his words.

“No, I knew I would still be around if you needed me.” There was no accusation in his tone. Anakin cringed just the same.

There was nothing but truth in his voice.

“You’ve done your best to prepare her, Anakin,” he soothed, “Master Yoda and Master Windu will keep an eye on her for us.” That was all they could take comfort in.

That thought steadied her as their troops moved into position. Anakin had intentionally placed herself on the opposite end of the battle from Ahsoka and Rex. She couldn’t predict how she would react to her Padawan in the line of fire today. Not with how close to the edge she already was.

“Ready, General?” Appo asked her, his hand on his comm to send out the signal. She nodded at the clone and moved into a more ready stance.

Chaos broke out. They had anticipated a large number of droids; it was why Anakin had selected an explosive with EMP properties for later, but not this many.

Her whole being was taken up with cutting down the separatist forces. Falling into a pseudo-calm state, Anakin swept across her quarter of the battlefield. She was determined to tip the tide in their favor as much as possible before their forces took their planned hit.

“General!” Appo shouted. Anakin almost snapped her teeth at the man. She caught herself and simply spun her lightsaber around, deflecting bolts as she waited for him to continue. “It’s your shift at the command post.”

“Follow Windu when he returns to the frontline.” Anakin leapt away, trusting him to follow her order. As she weaved between the smaller skirmishes behind the lines, Mace Windu made direct, purposeful eye contact with her. He nodded. Anakin’s stomach dropped.

Swallowing her discomfort, Anakin sidled up to the command station. She absently listened to the reports the clones were giving her. Taking in their insights while going over the natural flow of the battle. Things were moving as she expected, if a bit slower; however, they had planned for that possibility.

“Generals, Commanders, General Windu is down,” Right on cue. Anakin launched herself back toward the front lines, pushing down the feeling that screamed, ‘It's too soon.’ “Taking him to medical.”

Anakin joined Obi-Wan in record time. Falling seamlessly to his side.

“Your blockers are failing again, Anakin.” He said as they pressed their backs together.

“Nothing to do about it now,” she laughed wryly.

Obi-Wan clicked on his comm. Confirming that they would cover the vacant area. They fell easily into a defence and attack pattern.

That faux-calm settled onto her shoulders again. She caught a glimpse of white and blue montrails shooting off toward the command center. Anakin spun around to deflect a bolt aimed toward Obi-Wan’s back.

A void appeared in the Force. Without realising it, Anakin pulled her focus onto the dark figure that had just appeared. The figure was completely obscured, just like she and Windu had discussed. The only break in the black was a bit of light reflected off the artifact around his neck.

The item completely erased the steady flame that was Mace Windu’s force presence. At the moment, his presence only screamed danger. There wasn’t even a hint of the man she had come to know better over the last few months.

An elbow from Obi-Wan refocused her. It wasn’t their time yet. Windu was supposed to draw Ahsoka back toward the frontline so that she could take over directing the battle. It was intended to be a smooth transition.

They were now close enough to hear the sabers clash together. Anakin felt a rising anxiety from the bond with her padawan. It suddenly spiked. Anakin turned just in time to see Windu’s blade get close enough to raise red welts on Ahsoka’s shoulder.

A sound of unrestrained rage left her chest. Her omega bristled to high alert. Her pup was hurt. Someone had dared touch Ahsoka and still lived. The next second, she was between them. The scent of burnt skin and cloth still in the air.

The Sith seemed shocked at the viciousness of her attacks. His red blade was barely keeping up with her pace. Obi-Wan knocked into her back slightly. She paid him no mind. All she could see was the Sith hurting her pup.

Obi-Wan stepped firmly and suddenly on her foot, shocking her back into reality. There was no Sith. They had planned this.

Her omega was still not satisfied. Despite remembering the plan, Anakin had a hard time remembering to hold back. It took more effort than it should have to aim her strikes a bit to the side.

Mace began shifting the fight towards the hangar. Anakin made him fight for every inch. Obi-Wan backed off to a purely defensive style to compensate. She trusted him to catch any stray blaster bolts as she focussed her whole being on fighting the head of the Jedi Order.

The fight was challenging. Mace was not the master of the order for nothing. It frustrated her omega that she had yet to land a hit on the man.

Sweat began to seep through the layers of her jedi robes, intensifying the scent that had been slipping through her blockers since the beginning of the battle. It soured the air around her, impairing her focus for a second. Obi-Wan blocked a strike that would have made it through in her momentary lapse.

Finally, she landed a hit on Windu. Like they discussed, He immediately hightailed it toward the hangar they had scouted out a few days ago. The droid’s parting for a perceived Sith.

Once they were out of sight, Windu immediately lifted his hands in front of him, dropping the saber to the ground. Anakin snarled. Obi-Wan shifted to be between the two without blocking Windu from her sight.

Slowly telegraphing his movements, he lowered his hood and undid the wrap obscuring his features. Extending his hand to the side, he let the garment fall to the floor. He tilted his gaze ever so slightly toward his feet. An instinctual admission that he was accepting his loss.

“Anakin?” Obi-Wan approached her slowly. “Your saber is still on.”

“Right,” she finally took her eyes off Windu. Obi-Wan looked a bit more disheveled than usual, even for going through a battle. “Sorry, Master Windu.”

He gave a small acknowledgement to her apology. His gaze was understanding as he left. Presumably to report to whatever medical station he had been supposedly transported to.

Obi-Wan pulled her comm off her wrist when she made no moves to do anything. He gently tugged her over to where the bomb was waiting for them. Every step took ten years.

“Anakin,” She couldn’t hear the rest of what he said. The words rumbled together in an incomprehensible but soothing sound. Her legs were weak all of a sudden.

Anakin fell to her knees and keened. Obi-Wan was immediately in front of her, checking for signs of injury. To her surprise, he found some.

A sharp pain accompanied a brush of his hand on her left side. Bruised ribs? She could faintly recall landing on her side harshly while pulling some clones out of a blast.

She came back to reality when she realised she had been sending panic down the bond to Ahsoka. A flare of panic followed before she could stop it. Obi-Wan was looking at her in concern while setting the timer for the bomb.

“You ready, Anakin?” There was an edge of tension to his tone that had been absent when asked her that question earlier that day.

“As ready as I can be.” There was a finality to that phrase.

They boarded the ship that was waiting for them. Obi-Wan settled into the pilot’s chair. Everything was already set, they just had to time the escape at the right moment.

Anakin took the waiting to gather her bond with Ahsoka into her focus. Her inner omega was shying away, unable to face what she was about to do.

As the ship rode just ahead of the EMP, Anakin severed the bond.

The change was immediate. Her inner being bolted to take shelter where her bond with Obi-Wan was still strong. Tears streamed down her face as every ounce of pain in her body rushed to the forefront of her awareness. The air on her skin felt like too much.

Unable to control her hands, Anakin tried to rake her nails over her face. Obi-Wan gently caught her wrists in one hand. He let out a soft croon and began to pick the offending scars off her face. It eased the itch that consumed her whole body, only a bit though.

Obi-Wan expertly unraveled the disguise she had been wearing everyday for the last 11 months. Not once letting go of her wrists, just pulling her to his chest as she grieved uncontrollably.

Finally he freed her hair from the tight braids she had to maintain. He ran his hand through it a few times before coiling it up into a loser but contained knot.

She just sat there and let him put her back together. They were to be all each other had for who knows how long. She could afford to lean on him a bit. She had finally leapt into that precipice, there was to be no return.

Chapter 9: Chapter 9: The General (Ahsoka)

Chapter 9: The General (Ahsoka)

Ahsoka sat in the barracks, alone despite the bustle of clones moving around her. Following Master Windu’s suggestion, she had decided to meditate on the possibility of taking on the trials. She had originally tried to fall into a trance in her quarters but it had been too quiet. Her mind had kept wandering back to that still moment before the earth had shattered, taking her mentors with it.

She was a padawan without a master. A temporary general. Her purpose was adrift in the void Anakin and Obi-Wan had left behind.

The meditation was helping a bit. She took a significant amount of comfort in how steady the force felt throughout the tragedy. It fostered hope that the crater in her chest would gentle with time.

She had all but decided to move forward with the trials. Ahsoka couldn’t bear to be parted with the last of her pack. Certainly not so soon after losing the heads. She would have to take on the trials. She needed to take over command of the remainder of her pack on a more permanent basis. She would fight the whole council if she had to!

Having come to a decision, Ahsoka pulled her focus to the clones that populated the barracks. There was a forced quality to the levity around her. Their tension betrayed how hard they were taking the loss of their generals. She caught various higher-ranked clones glancing over at her every so often. A flicker of warmth joined the ice in her chest.

Rex, unexpectedly sat in front of her, startling her out of her observations. His eyes were tired. Uncharacteristic circles resting below them. His hands fiddled a bit with a piece of wire. She had never seen him this unsteady before Christophsis.

“Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping right now?” Ahsoka asked in an attempt at playfulness that fell short. Too emotionally exhausted to muster up her usual energy.

“That’s awfully talkative for meditation, Commander” Rex shot back in a tone that fell equally short. His face becoming more tired as the words left his lips, even if his mile grew.

“I’ve reached the answers I was looking for.” They lapsed naturally into silence. Simply absorbing the pack atmosphere. Distant laughter echoed through the room followed shortly by several overlapping affronted voices.

Ahsoka allowed herself to be grounded by the familiar sounds.

“I’ve decided to attempt the trials. It’s the best way to stay with the battalion” Rex looked relieved. The minute tension slipped away from his posture. His fingers finally stilling on the table.

“We don’t want to lose you too, Ahsoka,” he admitted quietly. “The men might be a bit protective of you over the change.” The warmth that used to fill her was kickstarted again by their consideration. “It will be good for morale if you stick around.”

“I’ve noticed them checking on me,” she smiled fondly. “They aren’t as sneaky as they think they are.” Rex took no offence to the statement. Letting it hang in the air like a decoration.

Ahsoka spent the rest of the journey to Corescant tending to her duties as general and meditating as much as possible. She slowly became re-accustomed to the techniques she had begged Obi-Wan to teach her while she was on bed-rest a few years ago. The Force helped her to live in the moment during these sessions. The memory of uncanny stillness growing farther away by the day.

It was almost too soon when she found herself standing in front of the council asking about the trials.

“Great qualities of a knight, you have displayed.” Master Yoda admitted. “Passed most of the trials already, you have.” The rest of the Jedi made general noises of agreement. Ahsoka’s mind lingered on one word. He had said most, not all.

“Been tried in spirit, you have not. Permitted to attempt this, you are.”

“When can I start?” She was eager to get the whole ordeal over with.

“You may enter the testing chamber whenever you choose,” Master Windu said with an air of understanding.

“After you are knighted, the memorial will be. Until then, grounded the 501st and 212th will be.” Yoda stated with a finality to his tone. He waved one of his hands giving her permission to leave.

Rex and Cody were waiting where she had left them. Both men had insisted on accompanying her as far as they could. She quickly updated them on their standing orders, but they waited as if there was something more.

“Your trials, commander?” Cody prompted. Of course.

“I am considered to have already passed four,” a little disbelief leaked into her voice. “I only have to try the Trial of Spirit and I’m cleared to attempt it at my leisure.” Ahsoka was relieved that she had spent the travel meditating. She felt a bit steadier than a few days ago if she ignored the absence of her inner alpha voice. Maybe that would help her with the trial though.

Ahsoka felt a moment of peace when she sat down to meditate in the testing chambers. The Trial Officiant and Master Yoda as her witnesses. The room was purposefully dark and cavernous. The only surface visible was the marble floors. The ease in which she slipped into a meditative state almost surprised her

What could only be a vision unfolded before her. She was in the hangar on Christophsis. Unable to move as she watched Anakin and Obi-Wan fight this unknown sith.

The uncanny void beneath the hood snapped toward her. It stretched out a hand and her mentors were thrown into the wall, pinned in place as the figure stalked to her.

“You… are… a… weakness,” it rasped with a multitude of voices. It held its blade to her throat and she stared it down. “You… are… what… killed… them.”

They were suddenly alone, standing in the crater where the hangar had been. “I… was… there… for… you…. Your… cowardice… killed… them.” She found herself unable to respond to the figure. Its words holding her mouth shut as surely as any hand.

As the figure morphed in front of her, Ahsoka regained control of her limbs. She jerked herself away from the horror in front of her.

The unknown Sith had transformed into a mirror image of herself. The only difference being its blade and the unrecognizable expression twisting its features. Ahsoka slowly reached for her blade, the being copied her.

“I killed them!” it shouted, tone wild with grief, hands outstretched to the sides. Tears streamed down the creature’s face and its eyes shifted yellow.

“Aren’t you going to revenge them?” it taunted and wailed, trying to get her to make the first move. But, the Force was calm so Ahsoka let it scream.

It was raw in its, no, her grief. That was the point. She had to stop blaming herself before she became that thing. The Force hummed pleasantly at her train of thought.

Ahsoka sat down, crossing her legs in front of her.

“No,” She closed her eyes, centering herself on the feeling of peace from the Force. “I forgive you.” The being stared at her. “There was nothing we could do.” Her tone was overly earnest, as if she was trying to convince herself too.

“No matter what we could have done, Anakin would have been there with us. Then all three of us would be dead and the pack would be forced to disband.” Ahsoka brought her hand to her double’s face. Holding the being’s gaze. “She would have wanted us to live, we can grieve but we must let go of the guilt.”

The image began to wash away. Ahsoka opened her eyes to the darkened room. Her face was wet with tears.

“Released your guilt to the force, you have. Passed the trial, we believe you have.” Master Yoda looked a bit too satisfied for her liking.

“You should meditate on who you wish to cut your beads.” The officiant gently reminded her. Ahsoka’s alpha woke up at the thought of anyone other than her master touching her silka beads. She had to take a breath to steady her instincts.

“Of course, Masters” Yoda and The Officiant left her to gather her emotions. She had three hours to decide.

Ahsoka had opted for the earliest testing slot with the full understanding that if she were to pass, she would officially be a knight by the end of the day. The ceremony would have been immediate, but there was to be a funeral after it. There were preparations to be made.

Despite the hard choice ahead of her, she only felt relief at gaining the title. Master Windu had hinted that she would be able to keep her station should she pass. Ahsoka could only hope the rest of the Council felt the same.

Time ran away from her ruminations and soon all the available council members and curious jedi had gathered for the ceremony. Toward the back of the room, Rex and Cody stood silent and steady as statues. She wanted to walk to them but tradition dictated she stop in the center of the room

The Council lit their sabers and held them in front of their bodies. Ahsoka absently attempted to come up with a final decision on which Jedi she wanted to cut her beads instead of listening to Yoda’s speech. Her eyes shifted over every master in the room but neither she nor the force resonated with any of them.

“Of those in this room, who is to cut your beads?” Yoda prompted her. Who in this room. Once that phrase entered her mind, Ahsoka knew the only person who could stand in for her mentors in this moment

“Marshal Commander Rex, Master” Surprise flashed over the assembled Jedi. They parted for the man anyway.

Rex bowed slightly to the Council before turning to her. He reached down to his boot and pulled out a small vibroblade. She angled her head to the side to show him clearly where to cut. His hold was gentle. She trusted him.

With a steady hand, the cord was cut efficiently. It fell neatly into Rex’s hand and he held it out for her to take. Ahsoka bowed first to the Council then to Rex as she gently took the cord from him.

“Knight Ahsoka Tano, what focus has the Force called you to pursue.” Mace Windu asked formally.

“I have been guided to dedicate myself to the path of the Guardian.”

“May the Force be with you.” Mutters of the same echoed through the chamber.

The atmosphere shifted as the assembled group left the room. Some clones joined them on their march toward the funerary chambers, symbolically carrying two empty caskets. It was a solemn affair, sepecially immediately following a celebration.

Rex and Cody broke off to join their men in their task. Ahsoka imagined that the caskets were too light for all the good her mentors had done in the galaxy. Such was the nature of their death.

Obi-Wan’s was laid in the slot first. A Jedi from his creche spoke a few words of remembrance over the empty box. Not of his many accolades, but of the impact he had made on even the smallest life.

Ahsoka had to look away when the clones rested Anakin’s casket in the slot. Only returning her gaze when a hollow thud connected with stone.

Rex gave her eulogy. Speaking of the care and ferocity of a woman he considered the head of his pack. How she had impacted every one of his men, even those who had only known her for a few short weeks.

The latch closed over the boxes. A golden light shot up into the ceiling. Ahsoka had to look away again.

“The council has decided to give Anakin Skywalker a great honor,” Mace Windu began, snapping everyone’s focus to him. “For her service to the people both within and outside of the republic. For successfully training a Padawan to knighthood. For her loyalty to the Jedi order.”

“Buried a knight, Anakin was not. A Jedi Master, we have titled her.” No one could say a word. The two Councilmen bowed and left to thunderous silence.

Notes:

This is the end of Arc 1!!!!!

Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Adjusting (Obi-Wan)

Summary:

The start of Arc 2 folks!!

Chapter 10: Adjusting (Obi-Wan)

(one week post-Christophsis)

The Ellisar family had a taste for grandeur, despite how hidden they kept their heirs. The quarters in the family wing of the compound reflected this fact. Every room was filled with lavish furniture and artworks.

On his earlier mission to establish their cover, Obi-Wan didn’t have the time to officially move into the Prime’s rooms. He did not regret that in the slightest. The suite was too big for one person.

His steps almost echoed as he left his and Anakin’s sleeping area. Anakin always slept later than he did. Obi-Wan had to be careful when he left in the mornings. She was an incredibly light sleeper, even shifting around too much would wake her.

Obi-Wan took his free mornings to meditate; but, Thane Ellisar, the man he was impersonating, did not believe in meditation. He had to take steps to disguise this practice.

He pulled out a box of flimsi and datapads he was going to have to look over later and walked over to the rug in the center of the seating area. Obi-Wan spread out his materials on the floor as if he were about to begin the day’s work.

He sat down in the middle of the chaos and cast his thoughts to the Force. The sense of calm came to him easier in their quarters. His alpha was quieter where the only other scent was Anakin’s. Their combined aroma was quickly becoming a sanctuary.

A soft noise from the other room let him know that Anakin was awake. He would have about 30 minutes before she joined him. Obi-Wan centered his feelings for a bit longer then stood.

He didn’t bother cleaning up the mess in the sitting area just yet. He had 15 minutes before Anakin made herself known and he wanted to make tea.

Obi-Wan was seated at their small table when he caught sight of Anakin. She was wearing the base layers of what would surely be a complicated garment. The mid-sized bundle of fabric was tossed over one arm, presumably the rest of her ensemble.

Anakin rested the bundle on the back of her chair and accepted the tea he handed to her. As she sat, Obi-Wan could only stare. Her hair was down. Why didn’t they cover this in their training? Such a sight was only meant for family.

“Good morning, Alpha,” She had a musical morning voice. Not that it was his business.

“Good morning, Nara.” Anakin’s forehead scrunched at the address, but this was their compromise.

From the moment they entered their roles as the new Primes of the Ellisar family, their real names became a luxury never to be enjoyed. They were to be Thane and Lunara Elissar, even in private.

Anakin was of the belief that their new names did not match them, at all. So, she called him Alpha whenever she could and he called her Nara.

Obi-Wan found himself observing Anakin. There was something more intimate than he expected to the atmosphere. She was pulling her hair into a more complicated updo than she would have worn as a general. Occasionally holding the locks in place with the Force to take a small break and sip the tea he had made for her. Something kept his eyes anchored to the image.

“Have you checked the news yet?” She was looking at him expectantly. He could only shake his head and place the datapad into her waiting hand. She crossed her legs and propped the device on her knee, fully focused on scrolling through the feed.

Suddenly, Anakin’s scent soured with grief before shifting to subtler notes of pride. Obi-Wan fought the urge to snatch the datapad from her grip. He had to place his hands flat on the table to control himself.

“They’ve knighted Ahsoka,” there was something entirely instinctual to her tone. Anakin stood, leaving the datapad where she had sat. She strode to the nearby window and pressed her forehead against it.

Obi-Wan picked up the discarded item and crossed to stand behind her. Close enough that she could lean back onto him if she wanted. He skimmed the article, she would want the gist of it.

“They’ve officially declared Generals Kenobi and Skywalker dead,” Anakin leaned back against his chest when he didn’t immediately continue. “They’ve also posthumously declared Anakin Skywalker a Jedi Master.”

Anakin spun around so fast he didn’t even see her move. She rested back against the window and gazed up at him, eyes shining.

“Really?” Her voice was colored with a disbelief that should never have been there. Anakin deserved the honor long before now.

“Yes,” He cast his eyes back to the datapad. “Knight Ahsoka Tano, Skywalker’s protegee, is to take over both the 212th and the 501st on a probationary basis.”

Anakin made a satisfied chirp at the news and immediately blushed. She moved back toward the table.

“Anything else of interest, Alpha?” She began to pull on and arrange the outer layers she had rested over her chair.

Obi-Wan flushed, snapping his eyes to the newsfeed in his hands. He occupied himself with finding another article to comment on. This would be their only way of checking in on those they cared about.

“Senator Amidala was re-elected for another term, not a lot is happening, Nara.” Still, Obi-Wan kept his eyes fixed on the datapad.

A relaxed laugh sounded off closer than he expected. His face must be redder than he thought. When he looked over, Anakin had adopted a playful posture.

She sauntered up to him. As she inched into his space, Obi-Wan felt more blood rush to his face. Then, she simply plucked the datapad from his unresisting fingers and danced away.

“Nara,” He sighed with a grin, he was glad that Anakin had the strength for levity. Even if she was teasing him for his propriety. Obi-Wan followed her to the sitting area.

Anakin knelt down in the center of the information he had spread out earlier. She let her strategic side take over as she tackled the pile with the same confidence she used to maneuver war-rooms. Her expression narrowed in focus, she occasionally reaching to re-arrange some documents into new patterns. He may use that setup to disguise his meditation, but Anakin turned it into a strategy-room.

“I think we can afford to reduce prices here.” Anakin pointed to a piece of flimsi. “It won’t compromise our power-base and it might even increase our customers.”

Obi-Wan picked up the page and skimmed over the names on it.

“It would be a good move. I meet with some of these people today.” Anakin looked satisfied from where she was kneeling. He held out a hand to help her up.

“Time to face the crowd, Nara,” her nose wrinkled at that but she made no comment.

There was a patterned knock on the door as they approached it. Anakin’s posture changed immediately. Her confidence remained, but everything about her was quieter. Obi-Wan shifted himself to radiate ego and opened the door.

One of their guards shielded the door briefly before standing aside. A small man became visible when he retook his station on the left side.

“Prime Ellisar, there is a matter of some urgency.” The man looked nervous, like he was somewhere he knew he shouldn’t be and was expecting to be scolded.

“Out with it then.” Obi-Wan hated how sharp his tone was. It was a necessary discomfort.

“Pirates attacked one of your weapons shipments. They made off with half of the supplies!” He let himself fully slip into the role of Thane Ellisar. A sharp movement had the guard pushing the older man to his knees. Obi-Wan loomed over the shaking form.

“Tell me why I shouldn’t have you whipped for this.” He grit his teeth as he spoke. Anakin moved to stand closer to him. Silent in her support.

The man’s eyes widened. His face shifted through emotions frantically.

“We… We captured most of them!” The scent of desperation seeped into the hallway. Obi-Wan had to fight not to plug his nose.

“I see,” He gestured for the guards to pull the man to his feet and smiled just enough to be menacing. “Lead the way.” He audibly squeaked at the look. His feet scurried off in the direction of the rest of the compound, guards trailing his every move.

“You did good, Alpha.” Anakin whispered at his side, rubbing his shoulder reassuringly. Things were always easier whenever she was around. His four-month stint here without her only proved that. He smiled at her in thanks.

“We should follow them to the cells, Nara.” He rested his hand on the small of her back as they started off. The feel of her warmth under his hand was grounding, even with all the layers of fabric between them. He found himself focusing more on the texture against his palm then the horrible scene they were bound to walk in on.

The scent of blood accompanied by cries of pain brought him back to harsh reality. One of the family interrogators was looming over a figure tied to an overturned chair.

“Garrik, remember he needs to be able to answer us.” Obi-Wan cut in. Everyone turned to look at them.

The young man, he could have only been seventeen, was in terrible shape. Blood was pouring from a head wound on the side that had presumably hit the ground. His expression was a mix of fear and determination. This would be a good opportunity, not many people had the guts to try and steal from an Ellisar. He would have to do this carefully.

Obi-Wan crouched by the kid’s head. For effect, he just stared at the boy, like he was still thinking up what to do with him.

“You’ve impressed me, kid.” The look of shock would have been amusing if it wasn’t marred by blood and the thought of what he was about to do to him. “Not many would dare steal from me.” He stood back up and walked over to where Anakin was waiting.

“I will give you a choice. Either way you will still leave this room,” The tone of this declaration was grave. He hoped that Anakin would forgive him for this performance. “You must choose if you want to leave as a slave or a corpse.”

Anakin stilled uncanily. Her force signature stuttered before drawing within herself. Obi-Wan wished he could turn to comfort her. Tell her that it was all an act, that it was this or death.

“A slave.” was the quiet response. The kid looked broken. Obi-Wan had done that.

He waved and someone brought the branding implements. At least the Ellisars didn’t use slave chips. Obi-Wan felt numb as he removed his signet ring. Garrik dutifully heated it until it was red hot and pressed the metal harshly to the nape of the kid’s neck.

Burning flesh and screams filled the room. Anakin was like a statue. Obi-Wan risked a glance at her, she was slightly pale. He risked rubbing her wrist over her sleeve. She let out the breath she had been holding.

“A model choice. You will have two days to recover before you start your work.” He had to get out of there before he vomited. One of the guards dragged the barely conscious teen out of the room.

The hallway was too bright after the darkness of the cells. It allowed Obi-Wan to push down his nausea. He needed to get them back to safety. Now.

Obi-Wan focused on caring for Anakin on the way back to their rooms. It made him feel sick to have caused all this. Her presence was worryingly absent despite standing right next to him. Only when they stepped into the sanctuary of their combined scents did Obi-Wan calm enough to care for her properly.

She was trembling and cold, her gaze was vacant. Obi-Wan led her to the bench in their entryway and knelt in front of her. He slowly telegraphed his movements as he gently lifted one of her feet off the ground. Her shoe had blood on it.

A hand found his shoulder as he removed her shoes and placed them by the door. Obi-Wan looked up at her from his place at her feet. Anakin was crying.

“What do you need, dearest,” He stayed where he was while she appeared to gather her words. His hand rubbed small circles on one of her ankles. The softness of her nylons was grounding.

“I don’t want…” Anakin sounded small, “I don’t want to smell that any more.” She silently reached for the hand that rested by her hips. He allowed her to move him.

She tugged him to his feet and pressed her forehead to his side. Obi-Wan placed his hand on her shoulder tilting it in an invitation. She accepted.

Anakin grasped his wrist and inhaled deeply. Her frame melted into a more relaxed posture. Obi-Wan made sure to keep his scent as soothing and concerned as possible. She tilted her head to the side, unconsciously trying to bare her neck for him.

“Thank you, Alpha,” Obi-Wan dropped his head. He wished desperately to hear his name from her. Something… anything to show him that she knew that he wasn’t that person she saw back there.

“Alpha,” Her tone was stern this time, “Didn’t I promise that I would share your agony?”

Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Living (Anakin)

Notes:

College has started up again so my updated may be less frequent. Wish me luck!!!! I will be fighting math demons this semester.

Chapter 11: Living (Anakin)

(one month post-Christophsis)

Anakin dreaded leaving their quarters. The compound contrasted the safe feeling of their rooms dramatically. The moment she and Obi-Wan stepped out their door in the morning, they were scrutinized closely. Their people judging their ability as the new Primes, looking for anything to use against them. She didn’t blame their men, they were right to be suspicious after all.

At the moment, Obi-Wan was leading a meeting regarding the pricing in the food markets they had a monopoly on. She was sat to his right seemingly absorbed in the traditional duties of the Prime Consort, making sure her mate had everything he needed and looking pretty. She poured him tea or brandy and Obi-Wan occasionally rubbed her wrist in their pre-arranged signal that meant he needed her input.

She wasn’t permitted to speak without breaking propriety, so she was constantly scribbling out strategic angles that Obi-Wan could spin in his more political manner. She didn’t envy his place, he took the brunt of everyone’s ire at meetings like these.

Honestly, Anakin felt a bit smug. It amused her, how the alphas around the table discounted her presence. Obi-Wan was only conveying her ideas. All their power was because of her and they would never know. The secrecy was crucial to their power base, though.

The Ellisar family had a small amount of notoriety, which was a good place to start. But, they needed to increase their renown if they wanted to catch the attention of the Syndicate. She and Obi-Wan were doing their best to climb up the ranks of success. It had only been a few weeks since they’d dedicated all their time to the mission and they'd seen good results.

A servant entered the meeting hall with a platter balanced on her palm. She moved swiftly to Anakin and displayed her prize. There was nothing but a thick envelope on the tray.

Anakin grabbed the item with a short nod. The woman left without ever saying anything.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Obi-Wan gesture for the meeting to end. There was a restrained rush as the people wanted to leave the room as quickly as proprietary allowed. They were afraid of Thane Ellisar. She hated that name and all it forced Obi-Wan to do.

Fighting a snarl, Anakin almost leaned back in her chair before remembering that her chair didn’t have a back. Her seat was a paradox of comfort. There was no back, presumably so that it didn't disrupt whatever a consort was wearing, but the plush cushion was one of the most comfortable she had ever felt. By contrast, the Prime’s chair was a stiff, wooden construction. Purely for intimidation.

Obi-Wan sighed and slumped back in his chair. She passed him the tea she had assembled before the meeting had been dispersed.

“Thank you, Nara.” He breathed in the steam deeply.

“Of course, Alpha. Shall we go back to our rooms? I want to look at this in private.” She waved the envelope for Obi-Wan to notice. He agreed easily. She thought that the only one who hated this performance more than she did was Obi-Wan.

Anakin allowed Obi-Wan to guide her back to their sanctuary. The people they passed flinched and lowered their eyes. Her omega reeled back every time it happened. Those were the kind of reactions she expected for the Hutts.

As soon as their door closed behind them, Anakin relaxed as much as her restrictive layers allowed. She kicked off her shoes and collapsed onto the settee.

“What do you think of this?” She waved the envelope in Obi-Wan’s direction. A letter opener materialized in her periphery. “Thank you. Alpha.”

“It is rare to receive an invitation on flimsi these days. This may be the in we are looking for.” Anakin popped the wax seal with the knife.

“I think you’re right,” The invitation was to a high-profile event, the exact kind they had been trying to get into since they took over. “It seems we’re ‘Cordialy Invited’.”

Obi-Wan made a noise of interest as he brought over some tea. Anakin traded the invitation for the cup he held out to her. “I think this is your area of expertise, Alpha.”

She tucked her feet under herself and sipped the tea as she waited for Obi-Wan’s thoughts.

“This is exactly what we were waiting for!” Anakin smiled. Obi-Wan’s excitement was a testament to how difficult this mission was. It also proved his humanity.

“That’s a relief. I can’t say I’m looking forward to the event though.” She grimaced at all the posturing that would be required of them; and that didn’t even cover wardrobe! Anakin pulled at her high collar a bit at the thought.

“It might not be too bad, Nara,” She laughed, Obi-Wan didn’t even sound like he believed himself!

“You won’t be able to get away with your more casual clothes at this event, and it will be a pit of sandvipers.” She pointed a finger accusingly. Obi-Wan held a hand to his chest in mock-offence before re-examining the thick flimsi.

“You should be able to get away with a thinner costume. It is a warmer world.”

“Well that makes it so much better.” Obi-Wan rolled his eyes at her tone. Anakin felt her chest warm as more light returned to his eyes. Moments like these made their charade worth it.

It had been a rough day. Planning out their angle for the event would be a good change of pace. Anakin pulled out the pad of flimsi she had been scribbling in all day and turned to a fresh page.

“How are we going to stand out to the Syndicate? It’s not like our real personalities will work and it needs to be sustainable in deep cover.” Obi-Wan ran a hand over his short beard.

“We should have an extravagant image.” he started, trailing off in thought.

“Lots of gold, I assume.” Anakin was already tired just by imagining the weight of her ensemble. Obi-Wan shot her a long-suffering look. “Alright, I’ll leave you to your politics in peace.” Not quite ready to leave the area, she pulled out some reports to go over.

Their evening passed in pleasant companionship. They worked alongside each other, occasionally making comments or asking questions. The atmosphere was peaceful, Anakin had a fleeting thought about staying like this forever.

“I’m going to turn in, Alpha,” Obi-Wan made a noise of acknowledgement over his notes. He always waited for her to fall asleep before joining her. It always woke her up when he lightly dipped the bed, she decided not to tell him. She didn’t want him to decide to take the floor.

That would be bad for optics.

Their bedroom had the highest concentration of their scents. Anakin was secretly glad that she was always alone when she stepped into the room. She couldn’t help taking a deep breath, it was soothing. Obi-Wan could never know.

It was a long process, getting out of her daily attire. There were many different layers to unpin or unfold. The cloth was a bit fragile which only added to the complexity of the ordeal.

Her hair was in the same ship. She missed the days when she could get away with coiling it in a tight bun and calling it a day. It was simple inconveniences that made her long for her old life the most. Now, she had to undo some complex style and braid it into a protective style.

Anakin moved over to the bed. Just as she was sitting on the edge arranging pillows, the door opened.

Obi-Wan radiated exhaustion. He was absently clutching a datapad while running his hand over his eyes. When he caught sight of her, he froze.

“Nara, you’re still awake,” She leaned back into her pile of cushions. “I can come back in a bit.”

“I don’t mind, Alpha,” Obi-Wan looked surprised at that. “You can stay.” He cautiously edged into the room.

Anakin nearly purred at his acceptance. Her eyes were fixed to him as he went about his night time routine. His movements were as smooth as if he were running a lightsaber drill.

She closed her eyes as the bed dipped with his weight. Obi-Wan shifted hesitantly beside her.

“Good night, Alpha.” His breath let out lightly, muscles relaxing into the mattress. Anakin could barely hear him respond.

“Goodnight, Nara.”

Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Getting Noticed (Anakin)

Notes:

Sorry that I need to bring this up
But please dont solicit in my comments
I have no money

Chapter 12: Getting Noticed (Anakin)

(six-weeks post-Christophsis)

The Gala wasn’t loud, per se. Attendees spoke in moderate tones and the music was a pleasant backdrop to conversation.

There were just so many conversations, at the same time. The air was saturated with a low constant noise.

Anakin wanted to cover her ears, anything for a respite; but, her hands were dutifully placed on the crook of Obi-Wan’s arm. She squeezed his elbow briefly, showing her displeasure, and he passed her a glass of fruit juice.

She was glad for the sugary drink. The structure of her outfit was necessary but restraining. Anything much more substantial would be uncomfortable in the ensemble. Despite her earlier complaints on wardrobe, Anakin was eager to return to the complex folding and layering of her daily wear.

The gown had breathability, a necessity of the warm climate, but the thin black fabric needed durasteel scaffolding to hold everything where intended. She would not be able to fight in this… thing. It grated on her nerves.

Obi-Wan led them to the outskirts of the crowd, careful to steer her around people that stood in her blind spot. There were many races of people in attendance, not all of them tall enough for her to see with her high collar restricting head movement. Another handicap for the night.

The balconies around the edge of the formal room brought little relief from the smell of such a large group of people. With the taboo around suppressants and blockers, there was nothing to dampen every little emotion from leaking out of the untrained crowd.

The crossing of unfamiliar scents was weighing on her omega. The whole area felt like hostile territory. If Obi-Wan wasnt next to her, she didn’t think she could handle the event. She needed the familiarity of his scent to ground her.

“Thank you, Alpha,” she was careful to whisper. There were other alphas nearby; it was rude to let them hear her voice. Manners based on old superstitions. Stupid as that was, they didn’t want to create an incident just yet.

“Of course, Nara.” Obi-Wan leaned against the railing and observed the crowd. Eyes lingering on a few more extravagant figures. His hand at her back was warmer than she was used to.

“See anyone we should put on a show for?” Anakin fought with the need to adjust her collar. The small circles Obi-Wan began rubbing into her hip calmed her agitation. His fingers absently running along the golden boning around that area.

“Not yet, everyone here is dressed too gauchely. All new money, we are looking for the older crowd.” He lightly gestured toward a v.i.p area. There were several figures congregating there, judging the assembled masses, “They tend to scout the crowd before making any moves.”

“And, we don't want to seem too eager for an invite,” She finished the thought.

“Moving to the outskirts is the first move, we want to seem displeased with the riff-raff.” Anakin smiled at his wording; allowing his explanations to distract her, momentarily, from the overwhelming sense of danger.

That didn’t last for long. A tall alpha, dressed in what had to be a million different colored feathers, approached them. He paid her no attention, placing his entire focus on Obi-Wan. She bristled a bit at the dismissal, despite expecting it.

“Dreadful party, isn’t it,” The alpha had an accent that went up in the middle of each word. It pierced the eardrum, efficiently. Obi-Wan gestured toward the crowd.

“Looks like they just let anyone attend, Mister…” His tone made it clear, to her at least, that this mystery alpha was lumped in with ‘anyone’.

“ Lorvan, Jev Lorvan. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mister?” Lorvan held out a gloved hand for Obi-Wan to take, he pretended to not notice.

“It’s Prime, Mr. Lorvan. Prime Thane Ellisar,” recognition flitted over the man’s face. He snatched his hand back.

“Apologies, Prime Ellisar, I am needed elsewhere.” The only way he could have left faster was if he was running.

“Alpha,” Anakin whispered, finding it difficult not to laugh, “I don’t think Mr. Lorvan would look out of place in one of the outer rim circuses.” Obi-Wan’s eyes danced at the thought.

“An entertainer between acts, maybe,” His hand resumed its circles on her hip. They stood in silence, waiting for the next person who would dare to approach. Not one did, not before Obi-Wan decided they needed something more substantial than fruit juice to get through the festivities.

The table of hors d'oeuvres was overly lavish. There were delicacies from just about every planet in the sector. Anakin was not at all equipped for this.

Obi-Wan picked up two small plates in one hand, expertly collecting what Anakin assumed were the polite options. He handed her the plate of mostly fruit before guiding them to the seating balcony.

All of the larger tables were occupied. The only ones available had only one chair and a sizable cushion to the side.. Obi-Wan steered them to the one farthest from other loungers.

His gait was a bit stiff as he walked them. Anakin found herself taking careful measures of his expression. She knew that this aspect of etiquette gave them the most trouble towards the beginning of their preparation, but Obi-Wan had grown to tolerate it toward the end. In private. There had never been an occasion to act like this ‘under fire’.

Obi-Wan was mechanical in his movements. He took her plate and placed them both on the table. His hand became less of a guide and more of an ornament as they rounded to their seats. He was waiting for her to make the move, unwilling to press it.

Anakin knelt.

Accepting Obi-Wan’s offered arm to keep steady in her descent, she kept eye contact the entire time. Only when she smiled at him did he settle into the chair next to her. His scent was edged with unease.

Obi-Wan pulled a device out of his pocket and waved it over their plates. It glowed green and he put it away.

That was good. They didn’t expect to be poisoned at this event but their roles as the Primes made caution a necessity. The only sure way of succession in the Ellisar family was assasination.

Obi-Wan’s hands paused, shaking a little.

“Alpha?” Anakin placed a hand on his arm.

“A moment, dearest,” Obi-Wan took a few steadying breaths. His voice broke a bit.

“You’re not a dog, Nara. “I know,” She began to rub small circles into the arm closest to her. There was a profound sorrow in his eyes. “I don’t see it that way, if it helps.” Obi-Wan stared at her face, searching for something. When he found it, he stopped shaking.

“What would you like to try first?”

“A sour fruit, please.”

Obi-Wan turned to the plates he had assembled. His movements were slow as he sorted through them.

Anakin was patient and the pillow was comfortable, so she had no issue shifting her focus to the other tables as she waited.

The closest large table was inhabited by a colorful collection of people. The showy alpha they had spoken to earlier was holding court.

None of the other omegas were kneeling.

Anakin smirked. This would help them stand out.

She turned back to Obi-Wan just in time. He was holding out a vibrantly red cube of fruit he had clearly cut down to a more manageable size. She delicately took the offering with her teeth, locking eyes the whole time.

Obi-Wan’s breath hitched.

She smiled at him as the pleasantly sour taste filled her mouth.

“Thank you.” Obi-Wan just nodded at her. “Have you noticed? Alpha.”

“I’ve noticed plenty of things, Nara. You will have to be more specific.” Anakin rolled her eyes at the response.

“No one else is kneeling.” His eyes widened. Obi wan looked around, cataloguing the postures of those around them.

“No one else is being fed either,” he added, “This could be it, Nara.” Obi-Wan reached for some more fruit. Their conversation reached a more comfortable silence.

Anakin fell back into observing the room. Their difference in behavior was stark. There was some traditional posturing to be seen. But it was only a bit more extreme than what she had observed at the few events she had attended on Coruscant. They stood out like a sore thumb.

A berry dipped into the corner of her vision. Obi-Wan had a teasing look on his face.

“Distracted, dearest?” His voice took on a melodious humor. Anakin moved her whole focus onto her former master, capturing his eye effortlessly.

Without breaking contact, and a good amount of playfulness, Anakin took the berry from his hand. This time she didn’t wait for him to let go before biting it fully.

The flavor exploded on her tongue as her lips brushed Obi-Wan’s fingers. His scent spiked in a way she had never smelled before.

“Whatever do you mean? Alpha.” Obi-Wan had no response for her. He was just staring at her with shallow breaths. Serves him right, he started it.

A shift in the force broke their attention. There were a few men in dark clothes weaving through the nearby crowd tapping people on the shoulder. One of them tapped the colorful Mr. Lorvan on the shoulder. He sagged despondently.

The people that were tapped were escorted out of the event. Anakin and Obi-Wan shared a quick glance. They hadn’t expected that.

Neither had anyone else it seemed. Compared to the swell of noise before, the room was as silent as a graveyard. The sound of rustling fabrics carrying in the cavernous room.

A self important voice crackled over the speakers, muddling the music.

“Please, return to the festivities. The longer you make it in the evening the better it will get!” With that the masses were appeased.

Anakin and Obi-Wan tried to give the appearance of being in their own world for the rest of the event. An unapproachable world.

Obi-Wan was lounging on the simple chair, giving it the presence of a throne. Glancing about the room as he sipped from a flask. They conversed softly about nothing important.

Her place on the cushion was comfortable. Obi-Wan had taken to rubbing her shoulder as they shifted in and out of their observations. It was soothing.

Every 20 minutes or so, the figures returned to their selection process. Seemingly choosing people at random to send away. At least it was reducing the noise.

The more people that were escorted away, the more calm Obi-Wan’s scent grew. There was less of the artificial control she had gotten used to the past few weeks.

“Do you think it will be much longer? Alpha.”

It was more of an excuse to listen to him talk than any interest in the answer. Her nerves were rising every time they weren’t chosen. They had assumed they would need a few attempts before making contact with The Syndicate. Anakin felt suddenly unprepared.

“No, I think the next round will only leave whomever they wish to speak with.”

He was proven correct when they were the only ones left in the room.

One of the men in a dark uniform approached their table.

“Prime Thane Ellisar? I assume.” The man was a beta, and was holding a tray aloft. At Obi-Wan’s nod, he swooped it forward revealing a note. “For you. If it is to your satisfaction, please follow me.” He stepped back a respectful distance to allow them to converse.

The back of the thick flimsi read ‘The Syndicate’ in embossed gold lettering. It didn’t bend as Obi-Wan considered it. He was not only testing the wording but also the quality of the invitation.

That had been a hassle to learn over the past year. Who knew you could insult someone with the style of an invitation. But whatever Obi-Wan saw in the note, he was impressed.

She gave a subtle nod of agreement. It was better not to delay. Anakin allowed Obi-Wan to help her to her feet. The nameless man gave him time to steady her before starting off toward the v.i.p section.

The people who had been observing the proceedings were gone. Anakin’s grip on her former master’s arm tightened a bit. The scents around the stairs were hostile. She turned her head a bit toward Obi-Wan, his scent was still calm.

Obi-Wan’s other hand moved to rub over her own. A small acknowledgement before they forged ahead. It was time for their true mission to begin.

Chapter 13: Chapter 13: Negotiations and Other Plans (Obi-Wan)

Chapter 13: Negotiations and Other Plans (Obi-Wan)

The staircase led to a comfortable seating area. A few lavish rugs were strewn about the stone floor surrounding two armchairs and a lavish mountain of pillows. One of the chairs was already occupied.

A young man, appearing about 10 years younger than Obi-Wan, was lounging in the seat furthest from them. The smell wafting off him was pure haughty alpha. His posture reflected this.

The man leaned back almost carelessly, legs crossed at the knee, one hand absently toying with a knife.

Once they were noticed, his chin stuck up a bit, and he formed a polite expression. There was something off about his face, despite his pleasant mask. His features just to the side of normal. But not in a way that suggested anything other than malice.

“Prime Thane Ellisar, A pleasure to make your acquaintance, please sit.” He used the knife to gesture to the wall, then the other chair. A servant from the edge of the room stepped forward to arrange some pillows for Anakin around its base.

Obi-Wan crossed to the chair, helping Anakin to kneel again before sitting in a similar way to the man across from them.

“You have yet to introduce yourself…” Obi-Wan trailed off with an upturned eyebrow. The man was silent, but smiled at the lack of attempt at a title.

“You have heard of The Syndicate, have you not?” With another gesture, two attendants brought over some refreshments. Each placed a tray on the small tables nearby. The one brought over to Obi-Wan was larger and filled with more sweet things.

A test then. A test of priorities. A way to showcase his worship.

Anakin’s posture was impeccable as she made her observations, her eyes locked onto the tray before twinkling up at him. The distinct feeling of a dare fleeted across their bond, her head tilted enough to show her playfulness.

His hand fell to stroke at the base of her head, fingers dipping ever so slightly between the high collar and the baby hairs rooted there. Grasping gently, he tilted her head back enough to hold the delicate crystal to her lips.

The appreciative shine in her eyes allowed him to shift aside his discomfort. Her smile was gentle as she accepted his offering. The expression a shelter around his true self.

“Prime Ellisar, allow me to introduce myself.” The man took a dramatic sip of his whiskey, “I am Arbiter Valric Dane. The Right Arm of The Syndicate. It has come to my attention that we share certain values.” Dane’s eyes sharpened. “A certain…way of life and devotion.”

“I am interested to know precisely what you mean.” Obi-Wan allowed the warm skin against his fingertips to ground him. His head tilted haughtily to complement his words.

“Who is this lovely specimen of yours?” Obi-Wan was glad Valric had exchanged his knife for a glass. He wasn’t sure he could entirely keep his cool if the man were to gesture at Anakin with it. His control wasn’t at its best with the need to showcase his designation.

“My lovely mate, Lunara.” He pulled up one of her hands to rub the soft skin there. He missed her calluses. “I rescued her from an… unsavory crowd.” Anakin smiled up at him, eyes shining with gratitude. His hand strayed to his cheek.

“A noble endeavor. It is shameful how careless the galaxy is with such precious creatures.” Obi-Wan made a noise of agreement. “Perhaps you would be interested in a group of similar ideals?”

“I’m interested, however more information would be required.” Valric passed a flimsi packet to an attendant who handed it to Obi-Wan.

“That is all we give in advance. You will get more if you agree to a trial period. We’d give you some time to get your business in order before coming to our compound for observation and information.”

Obi-Wan thumbed through the packet, plastering a thoughtful expression over the glee threatening to boil over.

Anakin leaned her head back to draw his attention. He leaned down to meet her in the middle.

“What of our household, Alpha?” She whispered, her eyes making it clear exactly which household she was referring to. They’d need to find a new way to pass information to The Order if they were to be so closely watched.

“I’m sure they’ll let us take an attendant with us, dearest.” Obi-Wan straightened in his seat to address Valric. “And of my mate’s comforts? Will she be able to bring her attendants?”

“I’m afraid not, that will have to be a hardship she bears whenever in our compounds.” His face was a mockery of sympathy. “Look over that and give me your answer and timeline by the end of the week.” He left before receiving an answer.

They were ushered out by the attendants who had flowed into the background. Obi-Wan observed them carefully and was observed in turn. Every one of them favored one side as if in pain, but nothing showed on their faces.

Anakin let out a harsh breath. He felt a nudge in their bond to look closer. Peaking out over the edge of their uniforms was a silver scar about the size of a ring. A signet ring.

They were slaves. He should have known. They could do nothing, only pretend not to notice.

The trip to their ship was tense. Anakin’s hand on his arm was stiff. Her scent was tinged with a bit of worry now that they were in semi-privacy. They needed to hash some things out; they would need to clear a room to talk without codewords.

They already had a room with simplistic decor. Something easy to check and hard to bug.

He and Anakin had changed into something reminiscent of the loungewear they had worn before all this. Nothing that had been at the event could be in the room for the de-bugging.

Obi-Wan hoisted Anakin into the vents, then set about checking over every surface in the tiny room. It was easy to fall into a meditative state as he worked. Surprisingly, he found nothing by the time Anakin dropped from the ceiling with a clear report. The room was still clear.

Anakin folded herself into the traditional meditative pose. He was quick to join her. Meditating with Anakin was a luxury he was rarely afforded. She was poking at their bond, a clear request for a more joint process.

Joining their beings, they ventured into the shallow layers of The Force. Anakin, a bright presence at his side as he released his stress to The Force. Obi-Wan simply basked in the feeling until they were ready to shift to more serious topics.

“We need to revise our plan and pass it to Master Windu.” Obi-Wan nodded, gesturing for her to continue. She just chewed on her lip in thought.

“Maybe a drop point? Once we get established. It would extend our mission.” Anakin slumped at her own words.

“They’ll be okay, Anakin. Rex and Mace are helping Ahsoka.”

“Am I too attached, Obi-Wan?” He almost didn’t hear her.

“Would you respect it if she chose to never speak to us again?”

“Yes, I wouldn’t be happy about it, but yes.” Anakin had folded into herself even more.

“There’s your answer, attachment turns when it becomes selfish.” Turning her face up at him, he let his hand drift to the hair that was falling out of her hasty updo, “You are at your most selfless when it comes to Ahsoka.”

“Thank you.”

They sat and basked in their real identities for a few hours, occasionally whispering their names back and forth just to hear them.

Soon, Anakin had to leave and re-form herself into Lunara Ellisar. The extravagant fabrics and updos to restrict the fighter he knew she was. Comparatively, there was little for him to do. He resented it.

Anakin glided to join him in the co-pilot's seat. He resented that too. She should be flying.

This mission was taking the simple joys from her life. His only consolation was that every morning she sat across from him with bright eyes. There was something that kept her going; he could only hope it stayed that way.

There was an entourage waiting for them. An older man rushed up to them as soon as the doors were lowered.

“Prime! What’s this about a three-month leave of absence!” The man hissed at them. “You’ve only been in power for seven months! You can’t afford to run off for three months! You need to secure your authority and build allies!”

“Know your place,” Obi-Wan growled, fisting the front of the man’s tunic and pulling him forward roughly. “You are beneath me.” The man dropped to the floor. Obi-Wan steadied Anakin as she stepped over the sniveling figure.

Anakin deflated as Obi-Wan shut the door to their rooms.

“Is it too soon? Jasper might be right.” She wasted no time removing the restrictive outer layers of her clothing. Obi-Wan averted his gaze, later than he should have. “Should we delay our departure? You’re the politician.” His eyes shot to her at that remark. He… disliked politicians. Anakin found that endlessly amusing, given his reputation for negotiation.

His rebuttal was caught in his throat.

Anakin had her hair down again. This time, he couldn't keep the blush from his face. Once was a fluke, twice was… twice was trust. Generally, only other omegas or spouses were permitted to see unbound hair.

After his overstep a few months ago, he didn’t expect to ever be trusted in that way. His chest hurt. His face felt like a furnace.

“A-Lunara, your hair,” he cast his eyes away again. He couldn bear to be turned away. He should leave before she cast him aside, but his feet were rooted to the floor. Traitors.

Amusement filtered down the force bond. She edged into his new field of vision. For a split second, she took on that glow he had convinced himself was a dream.

“Are you… flustered?” There was a light touch of disbelief to her voice.

“I’m not blind, Nara,” He found himself studying the golden patterns on the ceiling. They swirled elegantly across the edges of the room. He’d never noticed those before.

“Maybe you are,” Anakin muttered. Obi-Wan’s focus snapped to her so fast his neck popped. What? “That doesn’t matter right now. Should we lengthen our timeline with The Syndicate?” She held him captive with her gaze.

“No, the sooner the better.” His reply was absent.

“You’re right,” Anakin sighed, “We should trust our guts.” He was comforted to hear the confidence returning to her voice.

Obi-Wan’s feet followed her to their room without his permission. Her show of trust was hypnotizing. This honor was one he hadn’t ever had before.

Anakin sat at the vanity off to the side, brushing out hair that had been growing for twenty-four years. He shouldn’t be here. But his limbs were heavy.

Falling back onto the bed was easy. Turning his head to watch Anakin care for herself was easier. There was a guilty contentment to the scene. A glimpse into a future no woman her age would choose. He would have to let her go.

Rolling out of his outer layers, Obi-Wan fell into an easy slumber. Lulled deeper into sleep by the gentle swish of Anakin’s brushing.

How was he going to give this up?

Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Ghosts and Shadows (Ahsoka)

Summary:

Have an interlude!!! Also known as checking in with the kids :D

Notes:

Thank you guys for reading and commenting!!! I might be addicted to feedback, (My friends and family have been suffering my hyperfixaton by proxy lol)

Chapter 14: Ghosts and Shadows (Ahsoka)

(two-weeks after Anakin and Obi-Wan enter deeper cover)

It was an odd mission for someone of her training. Especially if it was as critical as Master Windu made it sound. She wasn’t a Shadow. She was a general. Infiltration was not her focus.

Nevertheless, she found herself wrapped up in warm cloaks, more extravagant than she was used to, walking through a chilly market street. Rex, at her back, was completely covered in bodyguard garb. The air was busy, people were in a rush.

All the markets she had attended with Anakin were full of life. Children running around, parents chasing after them, shopkeepers calling out their wares. This place had none of those things.

There was no joy. People came to do their business and left when it was over. The most prominent sounds were that of shuffling feet and clanking of credits. A tense silence filled the air.

Once they got closer to the compound, Ahsoka gestured sharply at one of the stalls. Rex walked up to it and began selecting some items. Stalling just enough for her to observe the gate under the guise of waiting.

There were four guards standing at attention.

No. Four soldiers.

The men were outfitted with heavy gear, dripping with weapons and malice. Not only was it double the normal guard, they were not to be so heavily armed!

Rex re-joined her and she gave him the signal to retreat. Following the flow of the crowd, they made note of all the different entrances and exits from of the compound. All had similar postings, none less than two attendants. Cody was not going to be happy about this.

They didn’t speak until they got into their transport.

“I don’t know why they didn’t ask Master Vos to do this,” Ahsoka let some of her frustration leak into her voice. “We need to update Cody, I might have to go in alone.” Rex gave her a look as he flipped the controls to take them into atmo.

“I know you saw those guards, General. It is a bad idea.” His tone was a desert.

The ship shook a bit as it landed in the bay. Cody was waiting for them as they disembarked, his hands clasped behind his back.

“I can tell by your face that I’m not gonna like this.” He swiftly turned to lead the way to the de-briefing rooms.

There were twenty or so clones assembled to hear the details of their reconnaissance.

“Things are more closely guarded than our initial intel said.” Rex stepped forward and inserted a datachip into the holo-table. The room washed blue as the holo-recording of walking though the bazar played.

Ahsoka messed with the controls until it reached an out-of-the-way doorway between two sentries.

“Even the hidden entrances are guarded. I believe I will have to enter alone.” The room shifted discontentedly. Cody’s gaze could have cut stone. She did not let it deter her.

“I am open to suggestions.” There was a moment of silence before the air was filled with murmuring.

“General,” Cody’s voice called out of the noise, “Perhaps we can accentuate your plan with some upgrades.”

_______________________

Ahsoka vaulted over the wall as she powered down her wrist-comm. Her landing made no more noise than a footfall. Their intel led her to the Prime’s quarters.

The leaders of the Ellisar Family, known as the Primes much to the Clones’ amusement, were to be offworld for the foreseeable future. There was little risk of running into someone in their private quarters. It was the perfect entry point.

Ahsoka cracked the balcony door open and paused. Her hand hovered near her waist, as she listened for any sign of alarm. Cody had one of their slicers deactivate the silent alarm. But, she still waited, unwilling to take a chance and get trapped.

The opulence of the rooms was unsurprising. There were precious metals and works of art everywhere she turned. The marble floors were polished yet nearly completely covered in numerous rugs. She almost wanted to kick her boots off to bask in the comfortable room.

That caught her off-guard. She was in enemy territory. It took a surprising amount of effort to bring herself back to the hyper-aware state of mind necessary for her task.

She was here to gather intel and kidnap the current regent of the family, not roll around on handwoven carpets. Luxurious as they were.

Ahsoka took a deep breath to regulate her frustration. The air of the room tickled her senses.

What was that?

The scent of the room was clean at first. However, off toward what she assumed was the bedroom, it smelled familiar. It made her brain itch, unable to find the knowledge needed to scratch it.

Shaking her head, Ahsoka moved away from the locked door toward the flimsi scattered over the breakfast nook.

The Force was with her.

Laying about the table were blueprints with security notes scribbled over them. The handwriting only added to the itch in the back of her head, but she wasn’t gonna turn away intel. Especially with how calm and ecouraging The Force was about it.

It detailed the security aspects of the wing she was in at the moment, as well as who was in what room.

She sent a quiet thank you to The Force as she hurriedly looked for the name of the man they were after, Jasper Gaal.

He was one room over. She grinned, swiping as much of the flimsi into her bag as reasonable.

From what she had observed, Gaal was the last thing this planet needed. Especially because, by all reports, the new Primes were not all that bad… comparatively.

Once Gaal was in custody, the intended regent could assert their authority and restore proper order. They just had to make it look like an internal overthrow rather than an external one.

She used the universal security code detailed on the blueprints to sneak into his room. It was surprisingly easy to pin the man down and shove a cloth over his face.

He woke up immediately.

Ahsoka had to use The Force to help still Gaal. There was surprising strength to the older alpha. She made sure to hold the chemical over his airways for a few minutes even after he stopped moving.

He seemed clever enough to try and fool her by playing dead. Luckily, she was no idiot. She felt vindicated when a minute after he stopped struggling, Gaal’s muscles lost a bit more tension.

Despite having already added the materials from the Primes’ quarters to her bag, Ahsoka carefully scoured Jasper’s rooms for more intel. It was not disappointing. The council would be pleased with all the info. It took little time to add to her bounty.

Before she gathered her other… prize, Ahasoka stashed the implements required to pull off the abduction in his replacement’s room. As well as a note she had been given by Master Windu and instructed not to open. The handwriting was the same as what she found on the maps.

With the Force, it was easy to hoist the older man over her shoulders. She wrinkled her nose a bit. His breath carried the faint stench of rankness mixed with alcohol. Not to mention his lack of blockers. She began to walk faster, if only to shorten how long she had to be in his bubble.

Her footsteps were silent despite the deadweight. She had to be lighter than a feather. The hallways were wide and tall, the slightest sound echoed off the polished stone.

A loud clatter sounded from the far end of the hall. She ducked behind one of the pillars to the side. Gently setting down her burden, Ahsoka peaked out of her hiding spot and cast out her senses.

There was a guard at the side of the door ahead of her. They had fallen over in their sleep and were gingerly picking themself off the floor. Grumbling and adjusting their armour, eyes showing pain from behind their mask.

The armour was durasteel and full of sharp angles. The being was awkwardly moving their limbs, betraying the uncomfortable nature of their fall.

Ahsoka had hoped they would still be asleep when she needed to pass them. She couldn’t be overt with use of the Force in case there were cameras they weren’t aware of. Looking around and picturing the maps she found, one window appealed to her purposes.

The Force cloaked her as she rushed across the hall and out the window. The vines along the outside aided her descent to the ground below.

As promised, the courtyard was clear. That map had been a gift from the Force. This shortcut to the rendezvous would have been unnoticed otherwise.

The Force’s attitude toward her had been kinder since she lost her masters. As if their care for her had affected the very nature of the universe as they joined the inherent energy that connected everything.

Or maybe it was apologizing.

Ahsoka whistled lowly. The gate to the left opened and she slipped into the night; her two shadows following her.

Once she entered the dropship, she didn’t bother being gentle with the man. Rex and Cody entered behind her.

“Good work, General,” Cody gestured to the unconscious man and Rex moved to secure him to one of the seats on the side of the ship. Ahsoka grinned at him.

“I have the Force to help me, but I admit it was a close call.”

Rex shot up from where he was searching their new prisoner.

“Were you hurt?” Ahsoka raised one of the markings over her eyes. Rex remained earnest.

“No. Although, I would have been caught if I hadn’t found additional intel on breach.” She held up her shoulder bag for emphasis. “There was intel all over the table and the Force told me to trust it. It even led me to a shortcut!”

Both of her officers eyebrows climbed more toward their hairlines at every word that left her lips. She had to stop herself from laughing.

“You have outlandish luck, General.”

“I have the Force, Cody.”

There was a jolt from across the dropship. The force prickled and Ahsoka leapt across the room. Gaal was awake and thrashing in his seat.

An odd look crossed his face at her approach. Ahsoka quickly gripped the man’s jaw.

“You don’t get out of this that easy, Gaal.” She snarled.

“General?”

“Poison capsule.” Her grip tightened a fraction. “He hasn’t broken it yet.” The man nodded seriously and grabbed a sedative from one of the medpacks. Injecting it as Ahsoka tilted Gaal’s head to accommodate him.

“I’ll grab the headgear,” Rex called from the other room, “Kix is busy at the moment and he would be best to remove it.”

She let go of the man so Rex could slip the device that would prevent him from biting the capsule over his jaw.

“We should let Master Windu know of our success.”

The ship jolted a bit as it landed in the Resolute’s hangar. A group of men came in to drag their new prisoner to the brig. Droids following to do the standard post-flight diagnostics that Anakin always insisted on.

Ahsoka had to look away. She had been on her own with the men for a little over two months now but somehow everything felt more raw today.

The little things about her command that were influenced by her masters were more stark. A sign broadcasting their absence and shooting through her soul. Her inner being bristling as she attempted to release the feeling to The Force.

Her throat protested the swallow to clear it. Ahsoka felt herself pulled into Rex’s orbit.

“It feels worse today,” She whispered. Rex nodded at her.

“Healing isn't linear,” was his quiet acknowledgement. It felt more like pennance than comfort.

Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Harsh Truths (Ahsoka)

Summary:

*throws chapter like grenade and takes cover*
Have fun! This will finish up the Ahsoka chapters for this arc :D

Chapter 15: Harsh Truths (Ahsoka)

The Resolute and Negotiator made quick time to Coruscant for their scheduled leave. Master Windu and a squad of clones met her at the staging area for the prisoner transfer. Gaal kicked and threw his weight around as Rex and Jesse frog-marched him off of the venator with a bag over his head.

Master Windu nodded at her, his face taking on that slightly pleased shape he favored instead of smiling.

“Well done, Knight Tano. You and your commanders are to come to the council chambers tomorrow for a debrief. Don’t get into much trouble before then.” He muttered something else, slightly homicidal, under his breath.

“Of course, Master Windu,” She bowed and he turned to leave.

“Usually they are just satisfied with a report, General,” Cody lifted his bucket off his head and tucked it under his arm, Rex following suit. “And when they aren’t, Clone Commanders aren’t usually there.”

There was a concerned tilt to their eyebrows. A long pause followed Cody’s words as the three of them considered what that might mean.

“Do you think they have decided my probation period is over?” The question brought relief to Rex’s figure. His shoulders lowered a fraction as he shifted weight from one side to the other. Steadying himself physically from the stress.

Cody remained sceptical.

“They could have notified you of that over comm. Why take up council time over that?”

“There must be something Master Windu is hiding from us. He seemed oddly relieved to be having that meeting tomorrow. Master Windu hates extra work.” Both of her men nodded. The stern master hated nonsense, there must be a reasoning for the request.

Ahsoka found herself following her men back to the Resolute instead of traveling to the temple. As a rule, she avoided the quarters she had shared with her late master. Only having seen them once in the past three months.

After her knighting, Ahsoka had stopped in to gather some necessities. She was glad Rex had accompanied her as she had immediately fallen to her knees.

Anakin wasn’t a terribly tidy person. Their quarters were full of false signs of life. They looked lived in and she couldn’t bear to see the dust that would now cover their everyday items.

The Resolute was her sanctuary. Her men were her confidants. Only these facts had allowed her to live with her grief instead of drowning in it.

Even now, Rex knocked against her shoulder as he laughed at something Jesse said. Effortlessly pulling her into the fold. Into a community they guarded so carefully.

The rec-room was lively and the perfect thing to distract her from her coming schedule. Jesse had pulled her into a low-stakes game of sabacc. The bet of choice? Secrets.

It made for animated conversation as the men whispered stories between each other. The others making wild and embarrassing guesses at the contents of the winnings.

Alas, distractions, by nature, did not last long. Ahsoka stepped back from the game to meditate on the strangeness of the situation.

It was immediately clear that this off feeling didn’t start with the meeting announcement. The whole mission to the Ellisar compound had been a step left of normal.

Why were the Jedi interfering with and collecting intel on a crime family so far removed from the war? Why help with a coup? Especially a temporary one.

She couldn’t puzzle it out. There was something she was missing and it was clear that Master Windu hoarded all the answers.

That's not even mentioning the odd comfort she had felt in the Prime’s suite. The familiar handwriting? Why did Master Windu have a note for her to deliver with similarly formed characters?

Ahsoka kicked herself. If only she had paid more attention to the handwriting of those she knew. The GAR’s reliance on datapads was certainly coming back to bite her. She settled back a bit. Frustration was of no use now.

In the morning, Ahsoka found that her musings had left her dreamless. She was almost robotic, assembling herself into the respectable Knight she must be.

The Force was mournful today. When she cast out her senses, she was met with a sad embrace. It was oddly reminiscent of the one Master Kenobi had given her after his stint portraying Rako Hardeen.

It was confusing. Was the force actually apologising for something?

She shook her head to clear it a bit. Why?

There was a knock on her door. Ahsoka was unsurprised to see Rex and Cody on the other side of the durasteel.

“Ready General?” Cody’s tone was startlingly grave. Apparently the man still had many reservations about the coming meeting. “Master Windu commed that they expect us in an hour.”

“We best get going then.”

Rex piloted the speeder through traffic on the short route to the temple. Time seemed to both be slower and faster than she perceived. Taking ten years and ten seconds to approach the massive building.

The Force only gained more sorrow as they approached. There was an undercurrent of joy to it that jolted Ahsoka out of her light meditation.

“I have a feeling that this is going to be quite interesting.” Cody stiffened a bit at her phrasing and she winced in understanding. There are some days where the reminders are too much. Today will hopefully not be one of those days.

The quiet of the temple was uncomfortable after so long with her men. Jedi and droids ambling about in quiet concentration added little to the atmosphere. There was no escort waiting for them. Another break from the norm.

The longer they went without encountering someone looking for them, the more tense Cody became. By the time they reached the council doors to find the attendant gone, the man looked ready to jump out of his own armor.

A little light flashed and one of the large doors silently opened.

At the Force’s prompting, Ahsoka stepped forward uneasily.

There were only two beings in the room. Were they early? None of the holoprojectors were activated yet.

“Knight Tano, Commanders Cody and Rex. Pleased to see you, we are.”

Masters Windu and Yoda were not in their customary seats. Instead they sat meditatively in the center of the room. Where tradition dictated she and her men stand.

“Sit with us, you all will. Difficult, this meeting will be.” Yoda gestured to the three empty cushions in front of him.

“Once the door closes, this meeting will have never happened.” Windu’s tone was… soft? “The doors will be locked for the duration in case of any… outbursts.”

Outbursts?

Ahsoka carefully arranged herself onto the middle cushion. Cody and Rex were not far behind her. The click of the lock echoed around the silent room.

“Let us start with the good news,” Rex leaned forward a fraction. “Just as you arrived at the temple, you all received a comm message informing you that this meeting was cancelled.” That was news to her, “and that the council is satisfied with your placement as General of the 212th and 501st. Your trial period is officially over.”

“Good news, this is. Because of your merit, succeed you did.”

“Thank you masters.”

“The other business is more sensitive. It is imperative that it does not leave this room.” His voice was unnervingly soft again.

“Decided to include your commanders, we did. Support, you all will need.” Master Yoda rested his gimmer stick over his crossed legs and tilted his head down in an unusual show of shame. “Betrayed you, we have.”

The air stilled. The Force rose in joy tinged with sorrow. Please understand, it seemed to beg.

Ahsoka took a deep breath to center herself. Her instincts were going wild with all the mixed signals she was getting from her surroundings.

“What do you mean, General Yoda?” Cody’s voice was edged with fury. “Betrayed us how.” Rex straightened at his brother’s tone.

He’s figured out something.

“Does this have to do with Generals Skywalker and Kenobi?” Rex almost pleaded.

“Not in the way you must think.” Master Windu held up his hands in a placating manner.

“Dead, Masters Kenobi and Skywalker are not.” Windu glared at the elderly Jedi. Clearly annoyed with his words.

His words.

Ahsoka could faintly hear Rex shouting. She couldn’t find it in her to pick out his words. That’s not right, she’s supposed to listen to her men. It’s better for command.

Not. Dead.

The grip, Cody’s, on her left shoulder was bruising. Where Rex was yelling to her right, Cody was void at her left. He usually had something to say to her. He looked like it was taking all that he was not to launch across the room at someone.

They’re. Not. Dead.

“What?” She gasped out. Surely she heard wrong.

She’s. Not. Dead.

“It was necessary for Masters Kenobi and Skywalker to leave the Jedi for a mission. In order to not compromise their covers, Master Yoda and I decided to fake their deaths.”

“Two things, there are, that would allow them to leave this war.” Master Yoda was serious, if apologetic, “Death and ending it.”

“And you need it to look like the former.” Cody bit out.

“Yes.”

“Left you all a letter, they did. Intel, did you bring?”

Ahsoka mutely took the bag from Rex and passed it to Master Yoda.

Keep it together. You’re not on the Resolute yet.

Yoda floated three envelopes out of the bag and sent one to each of them. The handwriting was unsurprisingly the same form she had been agonizing over. She almost lost her composure at who it was addressed to.

Our Daughter.

“Read these, we have not.”

“Once you leave this room, do not speak of this anywhere you have not personally checked for listening devices.”

“Depend on this, their lives do.”

They all nodded seriously, and stood to leave.

“Blame your friends, you should not. Little choice, they were given.”

Next thing Ahsoka knew, she was back in the speeder. Cody was flying now. His hands were stripped of their armour and his knuckles were lightening with the force of his grip.

In a haze, they moved their small group to Ahsoka’s quarters on the Resolute. Robotically searching for listening devices then placing their comms in a special bag.

Rex led her over to her bed and sat with her on it. The dip in the mattress pressing their sides together as they breathed in the calming scent of family.

When had she started shaking?

Cody sat at her other side. Peaking over, his letter said My Brother, in the same handwriting as hers. His hands shook as he popped the seal on the back. The faint scent of her f- Obi-Wan wafted from the envelope. It wasn’t stale.

They are alive.

A bitter laugh sounded off next to her as Cody carefully placed the letter back in its casing.

“He waits ‘til now to call me brother?” The man shook his head before resting it in his hands. The shaking resumed.

Our Daughter.

Daughter.

She hadn’t dared to think of them this way, afraid of what it would change. Now, she couldn’t even crawl into the arms of the woman who called her daughter and cry. She couldn’t go to the man who called her his child for council.

The Force, no, the Jedi were cruel with her.

Ahsoka tore open the letter.

The scent hit her immediately and she suddenly couldn’t read. Ahsoka had to hold it off to the side as tears poured down her face. Afraid that she would ruin the relic and never know what her mother had left for her to find.

The sobs were unexpected and sudden, and a spike of alarm flowed through the room. She had to consciously relax her hand as the flimsi was gently removed to be set who knows where.

Calloused hands wiped away the distress falling from her eyes. Murmuring met her ears in a soft rumble and she felt cradled. Warm arms pulled her tight as she finally fell apart. Shattered at the relief that these last few months were just a nightmare. Even if it would continue for a while longer.

Chapter 16: Chapter 16: Watched (Anakin)

Summary:

**TW**
Domestic Violence/Abuse
I will be marking the beginning and end with this = ._._._._._._.
Spoilers in the end note if you don't want to read through it.

Notes:

Hey guys, this one's a bit heavy at the end btw
I am so sorry
Have fun?

Chapter 16: Watched (Anakin)

(2 weeks after entering deeper cover)

Anakin hated their new rooms. Well… Strongly disliked them. Back at their compound, they could take shelter in their shared space. Their combined scents weaving together enough that they smelled safe. They hadn’t been here long enough to make that mark, and they wouldn’t be.

This created a new problem. Over the last two weeks, Anakin could get away with her clothes carrying their scent. The smell of their safe haven seeping into all they owned. As she held her overcoat to her nose this morning, she realized it would no longer suffice.

She gently set down the dainty fabric before her nails could damage it. Incrementally relaxing her fingers and brushing them over the garment.

A deep breath didn’t help. The foreignness of the suite rushed into her lungs. Her inner being recoiled and Anakin had to fight to keep it away from the bond with her former master. She needed something. Something to settle her instincts.

She should call Obi-Wan back to their chambers. They were supposed to rely on each other, but the man usually meditated about now. A hidden feeling refused to allow her to interrupt him.

Before Anakin knew what was happening, she had crossed the room to Obi-Wan’s wardrobe. She was running her wrist over one of his sleeves. Jerking her hand back, Anakin was unsurprised to find she had calmed a fraction.

She needed a nest.

Her face flushed, even as she collected the material set aside for her. The one benefit of the traditionalist nature of the Syndicate was their insistence on spoiling her. Not that she should want that. She was a Jedi.

The basket of nesting materials was a blessing. Her instincts calmed a bit as she ran her hands and wrists all over the soft fabrics. Lifting one of the blankets to her nose, Anakin was pleased to find it void of any foreign scents. A soft purr threatened to rumble up as she began to arrange the nest.

Something about forming low walls of blankets around her seeped the tension out of her frame. Still, she felt like something was missing as she wove the different textured fabrics together. Anakin began to feel a bit frantic as she rubbed her wrists over the nest. What did she need?

A noise of distress escaped her as she sat defeatedly in the center of her structure. A soft knock sounded toward the door. Anakin’s face shot up in alarm, hand flying to her loose hair. She relaxed at the sight of Obi-Wan. His face was pinched in concern.

Anakin flushed, he could probably smell her distress. Kriff, he could see her nest. He could see how out of control she was, as a Jedi Master. Her head dropped, unable to meet his curious concern.

She could hear him moving about the room as she inspected the texture of the fabric at her fingertips. It was a furry blanket, probably synthetic. Soft under her hand but lacking the sense of life that would be there if it were real.

“Nara.” She didn’t look up, twisting the faux-fur in her hand and smoothing it out, “Lunara, dearest, look at me.” Anakin could only shake her head.

Not only had he witnessed her lack of control, but her terrible nest. Something was missing, she couldn’t make it right. What Alpha would want someone who couldn’t make a simple nest?

“An-Nara, please.” He was begging her? Alarmed, she looked up at the earnest Alpha.

Obi-Wan was kneeling at the edge of her nest, arms cradling something. His eyes were tinged with a measure of desperation.

Why?

He held out his burden to her and her eyes widened.

Clothes.

Obi-Wan had collected some of his shirts for her to weave into her nest. Her jaw dropped.

“For your nest, dearest?” She had never heard his voice shake like that before.

Anakin hesitantly shuffled toward him and selected one of the items. As she ducked her face toward the fabric, something fell in place.

Putting the Alpha’s presence to the back of her mind, Anakin tucked the clothing into the edge of her nest with a pleased chirp. She absent mindedly moved around her nest laying out the various items handed to her. Her wrist rubbing at the arrangement as she went.

Finally feeling content with her construction, Anakin sprawled over the assembly and tucked her nose into one of her Alpha’s offerings. A hesitant noise sounded at the edge of her nest. Anakin blushed.

“Omega, would you welcome me into your nest?” He whispered as he dropped his head. Surely she didn’t hear that right.

“Alpha?” Obi-Wan’s head remained bowed in his traditional petition. Body tense, awaiting her judgement. “I welcome you.” His shoulders melted at her formal acceptance. He cautiously shifted over the edge of the structure.

With a burst of confidence, Anakin opened up an arm for him. Inviting him to lay against her. There was no hesitation as the man crawled to her.

Obi-Wan tucked his head into her shoulder, his tidy beard rubbing softly at her bare skin. The scent of his satisfaction washed over her nest. A purr escaped her chest.

Anakin gave a half-hearted attempt at embarrassment. She was too content to control herself.

The nest was grounding, Obi-Wan even more so. She found herself unable to feel guilty as she lifted a hand to card through the auburn locks resting against her.

“Alpha,” Anakin trailed off, unable to put to words what she wanted to say.

Obi-Wan shifted to his knees at her side. Freely gifting her his full attention. Like she was something precious.

“Thank you,” The words were all too small for the gravity with which she spoke them. Obi-Wan’s face grew solemn at the phrase.

“Anything for you, dearest,” and wasn’t that dangerous.

He was incredibly serious with the declaration. His voice rang out despite the whisper it was clothed in. Obi-Wan held her gaze captive with his conviction and she could only accept.

Anakin tugged the alpha back down against the nest; arranging them so that he was cradling her this time. She still hadn’t stopped purring.

It was going to kill her when this all had to end. Obi-Wan was cruel for making her feel like this was real, and it was everything she wanted.

That thinking was for later. For now, Anakin accepted the wrist offered to her. Allowing her Alpha to scent her before they needed to brave the outside world.

They lay there for what felt like hours. Simply taking time to be and take care of each other. But they had an objective for the day and time waits for no one.

Taking initiative, Anakin sat up and began the process of elaborately containing her hair. Obi-Wan didn’t move. Unexpectedly, one of the Alpha’s warm hands came to rest on her hip. She was grateful to be facing away from him. It wouldn’t do to add to his awareness of how out of control she was.

It wasn’t until this morning that Anakin realized why the Order refused omegas the right to stop their supressants. All this… floundering was unbecoming of someone sworn to the Code.

Maybe it would be different if she had grown up like this. That wasn’t her place to question. It was Obi-Wan who was on the council, not her.

Finishing the last of the coils, Anakin used the force to pull her hair supplies into the nest. She could feel Obi-Wan’s amusement at the action as she pinned everything in place. It only grew as she turned to him with a lifted eyebrow.

“I didn’t hear you volunteering to fetch it, dear,” Her grin grew into a smirk, “Or letting me go so I could get it.” She patted the hand still holding her hip in a teasing manner.

Obi-Wan looked startled for a moment. Had he actually forgotten where he had rested his hand? Anakin’s eyebrows climbed even higher at his reaction to the news of his appendages. When his face didn’t change, she fell back to the nest cackling.

“Nara,” he sighed out, shaking his head at her antics. There was an uncharacteristic flush to his cheeks. Suddenly unable to face his affection, Anakin stood to collect the outer layer she had abandoned earlier.

She paused before she could move the garment over her shoulders. It didn’t feel right.

“Whats wrong?” Anakin jumped, Turning to find Obi-Wan directly behind her. Not wanting to give voice to the issue, she simply shifted the fabric into his hands.

He understood, immediately, wasting no time rubbing his wrist glands all over the shoulders of the piece. Obi-Wan gently tugged the cloth into place.

“Better?” Again, Anakin could only nod. Her voice caught in her chest by some unnamed feeling. “Good, we still have some time before we are expected to show face for latemeal.”

It was Obi-Wan’s turn to consider his words carefully. His jaw flexing in the way that meant he was swallowing his first reaction. He turned toward the nest, hiding his face in thought.

“Would you like me to stay while you finish collecting yourself?” Obi-Wan didn’t turn toward her as he spoke. His scent was controlled. Why was he hiding from her?

“I think I would feel better if you stayed in my… the nest,” Anakin mumbled, blushing at the admission. She almost hoped he hadn’t heard her.

He proved her wrong with a decisive nod before re-entering her domain. There was a quiet difference to the action. His head tilted in submission as he arranged his limbs more comfortably.

Satisfied with her Alphas actions, Anakin felt a bit more in control. Her instincts backed off a bit once they had both settled into place.

Obi-Wan’s gaze was a steady presence as she finished her routine. He wasn’t even hiding it. Every time she looked back at the Alpha, he met her eyes unashamedly. The datapad in his hands long turned off from disuse.

That odd atmosphere haunted their steps as Obi-Wan guided her to the dining area. His hand was no less warm at her back, but Anakin felt miles away. Her senses blurred and muffled her surroundings. All she could focus on was the warm hand shifting from her back.

Conversation flowed around her by the time she came back to herself. Obi-Wan had settled her on a cushion near his chair. His hand was by her neck, thumb occasionally drifting to her pulse point.

She hummed at the contact, drawing his eyes to her. A hidden tightness to his frame relaxed at her present expression.

They weren’t at the table like she expected. The servants were clearing everything away as unobtrusively as they could as the diners congregated in the side chamber. She had disassociated through the meal.

Oddly, she could taste the remnant of fruit on her tongue. Good, she had eaten. The worst thing they could do was make it look like Obi-Wan was neglecting her.

“So, Thane,” The alpha to Obi-Wan’s left leaned forward a bit, “you never said how you found such a young thing.”

Anakin bristled a bit at the dismissive tone. She almost opened her mouth to chew him out. She was a person, thank you very much.

“She was a rescue,” Obi-Wan tilted her chin up at him with a fond expression. “Couldn’t help but stay with me after I stopped her disgraceful father.” He let his face tighten as he delivered their chosen backstory. “He was dragging her to sell at a heat-house. The poor thing had no one else to turn to, we mated not long after that.”

Anakin wanted to smooth out the wrinkles distorting his expression.

“That must have been some show of strength if it got her to spread her legs for you right after.” The pantoran laughed, clapping Obi-Wan on the shoulder, oblivious to the rage radiating from him.

Anakin huffed at the man, knuckles whitening where she clasped her hands together. It was all she could do not to shout at them. Everyone turned toward her.

“My apologies,” Obi-Wan said solemnly, “It seems my Nara is having an off day.” All his rage was suddenly gone, replaced with anxiety.

She had made too loud of a sound. That rule was ridiculous.

Obi-Wan’s force presence spiked as the pantoran made a low noise.

“Surely you can’t let this disrespect stand!” he blustered at them, “Maybe you should demonstrate a proper correction.” He gestured at the other omegas on the floor, “Wouldn’t want to show a bad example.”

Obi-Wan tugged on their bond a bit in his nervousness, even as he agreed. All she could feel was ‘I’m sorry, forgive me, I’m sorry, forgive me’ radiating down the connection.

Anakin steeled herself, she would be strong for both of them. She would have to pin the man to her nest later to keep him from wallowing over the actions others forced him to make. He would hate himself for the performance they were both about to do.

._._._._._._.

A servant brought over a thin switch at the room’s request. It was thorny. Anakin desperately tried to broadcast ‘it’s okay, I’m fine, I trust you’ at her former master. She didn’t know if he could hear her.

“Hands, dearest.” Anakin gently allowed him to cradle her wrists as he kneeled in front of her.

It took one hit to bloody her palms. Anakin let out a cry at the sensation, forcing her eyes to tear up. They wouldn’t be satisfied by anything else.

Obi-Wan struck her three times before moving to stand.

“Wasn’t it her mouth that got her in trouble?” One of the twi’leks spoke out. There were muttered sounds of agreement from the three other alphas.

“You should strike her tongue.” Anakin was grateful that Obi-Wan was not facing his crowd. The shock and anger that crossed his face would have given them away in an instant.

Obi-Wan’s hand cradled her chin, eyes searching. Anakin let her mouth drop open. She forced more silent tears from her eyes.

He was gentle as he used her hair to shift her head back so that the switch would only hit where he intended.

Anakin tried to send reassurances to him. The bond was closed off.

The pain was sharper this time. It was nothing compared to the various incidents throughout her life, but it was unexpected. She jerked in Obi-Wan’s grasp, more startled than anything else.

._._._._._._.

“I believe that was satisfactory.” Obi-Wan ground out, “Half the punishment for speaking will do. If you’ll excuse us.”

He used her wrists to help her up but didn’t let them go as they walked out of the room.

Obi-Wan was as silent in the force as he was on the trek to their rooms. The only sounds were the steady beat of their footsteps and the soft drip of warm blood on cold marble.

Notes:

**TW(non-graphic) AND SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 16**
Anakin is struck on the hands and tongue by a thorned switch
Obi-Wan is forced to do this to maintain their cover

Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Shame (Obi-Wan)

Summary:

There might be a bit of semi-graphic wound description in this chapter. Just putting that out there. Make smart decisions about reading I guess? I didn't mark it.

Chapter 17: Shame (Obi-Wan)

The smell of iron burned his nose. A soft dripping haunted their steps. Obi-Wan was fighting down his panic. It was a struggle to keep his grip on Anakin's wrist light as they hurried back to their suite.

The room felt wrong, foreign. His inner being roared as he released Anakin’s wrist as if it were a hot coal. He hurriedly backed away from her.

Bacta. Where had he left the bacta?

He needed to make this right. His hands were shaking, the feel of the switch branded into his palms. Its whistle piercing his ear even now.

Obi-Wan let out a frustrated noise, fisting his hands in his hair. Why didn’t they have any damn bacta!

He resumed his search, uncaring of the upheaval he left in his wake. Items strewn across the floor as he paced. Checking and triple checking the drawers.

He could faintly hear a soft voice as he overturned their living area. His scent soured with stress as their medkit continued to evade him.

“Alpha!” The tone of Anakin’s voice struck a chord in him. Obi-Wan froze. “I need you to calm down, Alpha,” she crooned.

Another drop of blood hit the floor and he reeled back. “Bacta,” was all he could say, backing up as she stalked forward.

His back hit the wall. Obi-Wan had to avert his gaze. He had a fleeting thought of escaping to the fresher, but he was too late.

Anakin’s hand, slick with warm blood, gripped his jaw. She forcefully turned his head toward her. A fierce wildness in her eyes most often observed in the thick of battle. He was looking at a General.

Obi-Wan let out a whimper, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” His eyes slipped closed, all his world narrowed to the feel of cooling blood soaking into his beard. His mind a fortress built solely by the horror of the last hour.

“Open up the bond, Alpha,” she commanded. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t bear the disappointment of feeling her hurt. He had lost her trust.

Snarling, Anakin let go of him. Her hurried footsteps vanished into the fresher as he collapsed to the ground. He had cast away her trust.

“Alpha,” his eyes snapped open. Anakin was kneeling in front of his crumpled form. Her voice was back to that gentle caress. A bloody hand was held out to him.

“The bacta, dear,” she reminded him and his attention was pulled away from the red to the item she had extended.

The bacta. She had found the bacta.

He had hurt her. He had failed so much that she had needed to find her own bacta.

She pulled him more upright and placed some cleaning implements into his unsteady hands.

“Ana-” Her hand covered his mouth in a flash. Hot blood poured over his tongue. Her blood.

The hand vanished like it had never been there, but the taste of iron remained. It stained his senses, making him gag.

“I need your help, Alpha.” Her hands were held out toward him again. His hearing whited out. A faint echo of his own voice rang around him. ‘Hands, dearest.’

She was asking him for help? After all that?

It felt like years before his hand reached the saline sprayer. Gently cradling one of her hands, Obi-Wan rinsed the blood pooling in her palm. The wound was harsher than he thought it would be. Jagged, deep ravines marring her skin. He could faintly glimpse the muscles flexing as he moved the hand.

Mechanically, Obi-Wan spread a layer of bacta over the gash. Only daring to breath once he smoothed a bandage over the assembly.

He did not remember bandaging her other hand. He simply was. Obi-Wan watched faintly as Anakin mixed the bacta and saline into a mouthwash.

Dear Force, he had struck her on the tongue.

Shame flooded his being, but he could not back away. She had him cornered. He deserved it.

Anakin’s bandage covered hands captured his own. When he would not stand with her, she used the Force to haul him up.

When Anakin pushed him toward their bed chambers, Obi-Wan began to struggle. He was a danger to his m-. He was a danger to her. Danger had to stay out of the den. He would corrupt her perfect nest!

He could do nothing against her in this state. Anakin pushed him into the chair by her vanity.

“Stay here,” She ordered. So he did.

Out of the corner of his eye, Obi-Wan spotted his reflection. He stumbled back, horrified.

What sat before him was a beast, a monster. A being with wild eyes and hair. The lower half of its visage drenched in fresh blood. Its orange tinted teeth set in a snarl. It was a threat wearing his face. He could not look away.

“Alpha,” the voice sounded through a veil

He and the monster tilted their head. Their eyes locked together. Obi-Wan kept expecting to see that poisonous yellow, but it never showed. To his horror, its eyes were wholly his own.

A hand turned his focus away from the being behind the glass. She had a cloth in her hand.

“I need to wash your face, Alpha.” Her eyes were pleading with him. He held on to her gaze desperately. She was a lifeline he didn’t deserve, but she extended it freely.

Her hands were gentle as she scrubbed the blood from his face. Humming softly in her focus. She set the rag aside once she finished, tilting his head from side to side to examine her work.

“Strip.”

“What?”

“Strip, Alpha,” Her voice was stern, “No blood in the nest.”

Obi-Wan gasped, falling out of the chair she had led him to. He was dangerous! He can’t go into her nest.

“I hurt you,” he choked out.

“Yes,” she admitted, “ but I want you in my nest.”

“I’ll ruin it.” Anakin scowled at him.

“I get to decide that, Alpha,” She growled, “Strip. Then nest.”

Slowly, he complied. His clothes stuck to his skin. The stress sweat making them uncomfortable to remove. His propriety kept his underclothes in place.

Anakin shoved another rag into his hand as she passed him to shut the door. Numbly, Obi-Wan rinsed off the signs of his distress. Only then did he allow himself to be herded into the nest.

He tried to make himself as small as possible. He didn’t want to contaminate her sense of safety with his scent.

Anakin crawled in after him, similarly attired. She forcefully pushed him to his back, straddling his waist. Unwilling to fight her, Obi-Wan was held still by the hands on his chest.

As if sensing his helplessness, Anakin sat up fully. The warmth of her skin against his was grounding. His hand lifted to rest on her thigh before jolting back.

He had never earned that liberty. He never would now.

She didn’t remove her eyes from his face as she began to fiddle with her hairpins. Shifting her hair as she sent the offending objects over by the mirror with the force.

When it fell free, her hair pooled over them.

She trusted him with this? To behold her unconfined hair? To feel it against his bare skin?

He heaved a sob, tears escaping with a vengeance. Obi-Wan had to turn his head to the side. His hands fisted the blanket. He needed to restrain himself.

Anakin slumped forward. Folding herself over his torso and tucking herself under his chin. All of her weight pushed him firmly into the nest.

He could get up. Between the two of them, Obi-Wan was both stronger and the better grappler. He should get up.

Obi-Wan gathered his resolve. It would be better if he left. What right did he have to enjoy this luxury?

Then Anakin purred. Purred.

He couldn’t move.

“You better not be thinking about leaving,” Anakin muttered. The vibrations of her voice joining the soothing rumble on his chest.

“I was,” he couldn’t lie to her. It would just add to all the darkness he had already given her.

Anakin lifted her head to glare at him.

“You did what you had to do.” Obi-Wan opened his mouth to protest only to find it swiftly covered by her bandaged palm.

“I’m not done speaking, Alpha.” Her hand drifted to smooth over his beard.

“Do you remember why we’re doing this?” Anakin paused, her eyes making it clear that she intended him to think about this.

Obi-Wan’s thoughts drifted to Ahsoka and the men she was leading in their stead. ‘Our Daughter’, was how they had chosen to address their letter to her. He couldn’t think of her in any other way.

“We do this for the galaxy, for our Daughter, and our family.” Anakin pulled his gaze back to her, “If we had the chance to talk about it, I would have told you to hit me.” She didn’t let him turn his head away.

“Do you understand now? I am glad for what you did today, even if it would drive me away in any other circumstance.”

Her head fell back to his chest, warm breath ghosting over his sternum.

“Alpha, you helped me protect my pup.” The force of gratitude emanating from Anakin’s scent was shocking. He felt her lips curling into a smile against him.

“You honor me, Alpha.” She was trying to kill him! Saying things like that… in a nest… sheltered by her unbound hair… curled, nearly naked, against his chest.

“Nara,” he groaned out, pushing his palms more securely into the nest. Anakin wasted no time grasping one of them. Pulling it up by his shoulder and tracing it with her fingertips.

“Let’s just stay like this,” she whispered, moving the arm to her shoulder.

He would give her anything she asked, so long as it wouldn’t break the universe to do so.

So he held her close. Basking in the pleased purring, eventually joining it with his own.

His Omega was safe and attended to, her nest was secure, and Obi-Wan melted into the fabric that supported him.

Anakin beat him to slumber. Her breaths evening out and purrs muffling. She nuzzled at his chest as she dreamed. Her Force presence was peaceful.

Obi-Wan rubbed his hands over her shoulders. Reassuring himself that she was still there. That she had chosen to stay, to seek comfort from him.

His hands drifted down to hers, brushing over the bandages. They were pink.

The Force answered to his call when he pulled the medical supplies from where Anakin had left them. It was a bit complicated to set up a sterile surface without removing or waking the sleeping form from his chest, but he managed.

The wounds were worse than he thought possible. Obi-Wan had hoped that his panic earlier had made the situation seem worse than reality. He was sad to be proven wrong.

The bacta had helped a bit, keeping the major bleeding at bay. A thin layer of scar tissue was already trying to form at the edges of the gash.

Obi-Wan carefully rinsed the site and applied a new layer of the gel. The towel he had laid out slowly seeping up the pink saline, protecting the nest.

Anakin shifted as he re-bandaged her palms. Her purr stuttered at the slight increase in pain. He rubbed at her wrist to soothe her.

“Sleep, dearest,” He murmured, permitting himself the selfishness of brushing a thumb at her cheek. At a gesture, the nest was empty of the foreign materials once more.

Obi-Wan held her close. It was going to kill him when he had to give this up. This mission was cruel to an unexpected extent.

He had long resigned himself to watching Anakin live her life from afar. Watching some young alpha give her the galaxy. A bittersweet feeling from knowing her happiness would surely lie with someone else.

There could be no one else for him, he knew this in his bones. So he would wait and see, knowing all along that she would never approach an old alpha like him.

But now he knew what it would feel like to be hers. The Force was cruel to let him live this lie, but he couldn’t resent it. Not with his love pressed against him. Not with Anakin safe and purring in his arms.

Chapter 18: Chapter 18: The New Normal (Obi-Wan)

Notes:

There right be a bit of triggering rhetoric in this chapter, abuser mindframe/rationalization, etc.

Chapter 18: The New Normal (Obi-Wan)

Anakin had shifted to his side by the time Obi-Wan woke up. She was still faintly purring into his arm, her lips smiling against his skin. The aroma of the nest was peaceful. He was loath to leave it to face the destruction he had wrought in his distress.

Removing himself from the nest was a delicate process. The moment he began to shift, Anakin wrapped herself around his arm like a vice. But Obi-Wan was committed and Anakin needed rest to heal, so he persisted. Shifting softly and freezing in turn until he was out of her orbit.

This morning, Obi-Wan conducted his meditations in the shower. He was still a little too unsettled for his typical methods to work. The motions of his daily routines became the vehicle for introspection and communion with the Force.

It was sorrowful yet sure. Obi-Wan couldn’t help but feel a bit betrayed. He let the emotion run its course before relinquishing it to the Force. His shoulder lightened.

The outer room was a disaster. For all intents and purposes, it had been ransacked. Obi-Wan winced at the visual reminder of his loss of control. But that was yesterday. Now was the time to set things right. Starting with cleaning this up before Anakin awakened.

Obi-Wan quickly discarded the idea of calling a droid to assist with the aftermath. It didn’t feel like something he should hand off to someone else. So, he collected some tools from a closet and set to work.

Slipping back into a light meditation, Obi-Wan let the Force cradle him as he mended some broken items. His sense of peace increased with every part of the room he set right. The simple motions easily carried him through his appointed task.

Obi-Wan removed the thin robe he had donned for the process before reentering the den. Anakin was just waking. Stretching her limbs in a relaxed manner only to freeze when she didn’t feel him. A sharp stab of panic assaulted his nose.

“Nara, I’m here,” he whispered before Anakin could spiral.

“I thought you had left!” she whisper shouted back at him.

“Only to tidy up, dearest. I left quite the mess yesterday.” Anakin only glared at him, weakly. “I had hoped to return before you woke up.”

Obi-Wan crawled back into the nest, allowing her to arrange him to her comfort.

“Will you let me change your bacta?” She held out her hands in response. The bandages weren’t pink this time. The layer of gel successfully keeping them snowy white. Obi-Wan let out a relieved breath at the sight.

Unwrapping the gauze unveiled the more optimistic result. The gashes weren’t gone, but they were significantly shallower. No longer could Obi-Wan see the muscles under flesh.

“This is some good bacta,” he admitted, voice falling. Anakin mirrored his dejected expression.

“We should have known this kind of thing was commonplace from everyone's reactions,” Anakin pointed out.

“Not to the extent of having the highest grade bacta,” She nodded, conceding the point. “Open your mouth?”

Anakin complied, sticking out her tongue for him to examine closely. The small cuts that had been present the night before were all but gone. Only a faint swelling admitted the abuse of the previous day. Good.

Obi-Wan passed her the bacta-saline concoction without a word. She smiled as she swished it around her mouth.

“You should be as healed as you can get by midmeal. It would be rude to show face before then.” Obi-Wan held a cup out for her to spit into.

Anakin smirked at him. “We shall have to enjoy our refurbished rooms then.”

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes at her antics, but didn’t follow after her as she began her routine. Anakin was a graceful whirlwind. She flitted from one side of their chambers in a dance, wasting little movement as she accomplished her tasks.

He had never seen anything like it. The little items she needed for her process orbited around her. Always floating within reach but never in her way. They flowed around her, reminiscent of the silk robe flying as she moved.

As always, he was in awe of her.

Obi-Wan was startled a bit when her dance ended with a backwards plummet onto the nest. It landed her squarely at his side. His awe only extended when she laughed at his aborted attempt to catch her.

“Did I scare you, Alpha?” Anakin rolled onto her stomach to peer at him mischievously.

“Scare is a strong word,” he groused, flushing at how well she read him.

“Of course, dear.” She rolled over to rest against him again. Obi-Wan could barely contain his surprise. It was one thing for her to be so tactile while sleepy, but Anakin was wide awake now. Was she still afraid he was going to run away?

“Could we stay like this ‘til we have to leave?” He could not deny her, even if he should.

“Of course, dear,” he echoed. Anakin let out a chirp of delight before clearing her throat.

“Sorry, I don’t know what came over me.” He could feel the heat in her cheek against his shoulder.

“It’s alright.” She didn’t look up at him, the heat didn’t diminish at his assurance.

Once she had stopped blushing, Anakin burrowed deeper against him. A soft purr beginning again.

Then they had to leave.

Obi-Wan had to school his expression into placid sternness as they walked down the hall. Anakin was following a step behind him instead of at his side where she belonged. He didn’t have it in himself to look back at her downturned face.

In his core he knew this was how it had to be. They must keep up appearances and Anakin was still in trouble.

His only peace was that her hands were fully healed now. She held them, one clasped over the other, at her waist. The new silvery scars hidden from the world as they approached their destination.

Obi-Wan felt nauseous once they reached the door to the dining room from last night. He didn’t let that stop him from entering when it opened for them. His resolve was made up entirely by casting his thoughts to the family they were trying to save.

The pantoran from the last evening met them by the door, “Primes Ellisar, good of you to join us. I trust your morning was productive.”

Obi-Wan gestured to Anakin’s pentient posture, “I’m sure you can tell. Although… the thorns were much sharper than I typically use. I am grateful for the bacta that was left in our rooms.”

“Stocking bacta is a necessity for our way of life. We must punish yet cherish, it is the only way.” He could only nod in response.

Today there was a separate area set up for the omegas to dine. Obi-Wan felt a sense of relief when he sent Anakin off. He could barely stand to be around the alphas. At the moment, it would be more difficult with her there. Even if it made his skin itch to see her walk away.

“You punish well, Thane. May I call you Thane?” The pantoran’s eyes tracked Anakin’s journey across the room.

“Naturally. If I may call you Dvion,” he shot back.

“Of course. It is my honor to be on a first name basis with an Alpha of such quality.” The words sunk into his flesh, rending it from his bones. Not unlike his own hand had done to Anakin the night before.

Obi-Wan shook off the feeling, now was not the time for guilt. “You must understand. Usually I am much more private with such delicate matters as yesterday,” He had to spin this the right way, “I made an exception only due to the purpose of this retreat.” His voice remained level and serious, barely.

“Certainly, household matters are private. We just ask that while you are here, you conduct yourself as if we were not here. Like you did last night.” Obi-Wan held back a groan. “After all, we must ensure that only the right sort are inducted into our order.”

He nodded to the room. They must simply be more careful, it would be unwise to push their host further.

“I suppose it would be unwise to challenge your process.”

“Yes, we want only those who are secure in their authority. Only your actions can show that.”

At that moment, a line of servants entered the room to set up the midmeal spread. Out of the corner of his eye, Obi-Wan could see a similar event in the adjacent sitting area.

Anakin and the other omegas were seated on their cushions around a low table. Their lips were moving, but he heard no noise from across the room. Good, a repeat of last night was the last thing he wanted.

From her seat, Anakin met his searching eyes with a warm smile. The lunch passed in a blur after that. The voices of his companions melted into a hazy background.

Anakin seemed to be faring better than he was. Her face was appropriately animated as she told some tale to her peers. The downtrodden twi’lek seated next to her was leaning toward her. Transfixed by the words spilling from Anakin's lips.

It was comforting to know that at least one of them was in the headspace to make connections. He was lucky that it was acceptable for him to brood for a bit this afternoon.

“Thane,” It was the other human that spoke to him now, “what do you make of that.” He gestured toward their collected omegas. They were all politely covering their lips as they presumably laughed.

“We can’t hear them, so I have no issue with it.” Obi-Wan allowed a genuine smile to come to his face. “I am glad my Nara is finally connecting. There is a certain lack of proper company for her back home.”

“But that is the nature of your business, my friend.” The man gestured with the glass in his hand.

“There are things I would rather her not see, but it is more cruel to leave her in solitude.”

“Too true.”

The rest of the day passed in a similar manner. The relief of returning to their rooms was potent. Obi-Wan had to fight not to collapse into the first piece of furniture he saw.

“That was exhausting, Nara.” She hummed as she breezed past him, discarding her two outermost layers like they had bitten her.

“I fear I had the more comfortable task, Alpha,” Anakin rubbed her arms at an odd staccato. Lightly running her nails over the edges of her remaining clothes.

Something prickled the back of his mind at the sight. Then she began to shiver.

“Can you turn down the heat, Alpha? Maybe the cleaning droid messed with it.” It hadn’t.

Anakin was simultaneously leaning into his orbit and trying to dart to her nest. Obi-Wan guided her to their bedroom. Glancing away as she shed the rest of her overclothes and dove into the nest.

He tried to follow her only to be met with a growl. Obi-Wan froze.

“Only. Your. Scent.” Anakin looked like she would rather shred his suitcoat before it could enter her sanctuary. Her eyes narrowed to points as he complied with her request. He only dared to try again when she nodded at him.

Anakin allowed him to approach. Her scent was a bit off and Obi-Wan’s gut sank. His hand shook as he lifted it to her forehead. She was ice cold.

“You're freezing, Nara,” he could only whisper as she pressed against him. Ice cold hands roaming up to the scent glands at his throat.

“That doesn’t sound right,” Anakin’s forehead crinkled a bit with the effort of thinking. “It’s far too hot for that.” Her eyes closed against him, “I hate the heat, Alpha. Bad memories,” she muttered into his chest.

“When was the last time you had a heat, dearest.” Anakin looked confused at the question.

“You know they don’t let us have heats,” she chided.

“So you don’t remember what it feels like.” Obi-Wan pointed out. Anakin frowned.

“I guess. I’ve only ever had the one and I’ve heard that one’s different.”

“Nara, I think you’ve been in pre-heat.” Her eyes widened.

“The nest,” she mumbled, “I usually have more self control.”

“You are more tactile than usual,” he admitted to her, feeling a bit of shame crawling up his spine. He had been too indulgent, especially if she wasn’t in her right mind.

“I can sense you spiraling, dear,” her eyes were daggers, “Don’t.”

And that was that. Anakin refused to continue the conversation. Falling asleep from exhaustion on the spot.

They hadn’t been able to discuss what to do, and she refused to wake no matter what he did. The colder she got in his arms, the larger the pit of hopelessness in his stomach grew. They didn’t have a plan for this.

Chapter 19: Chapter 19: A State of Agony (Anakin)

Summary:

So... this is the heat chapter :D
It gets a bit steamy after Anakin complains of being empty if u want the warning
I'll give a sucky (teen rated) summary in the end note for any interested parties

Enjoy :D

****IF YOU ARE MY FAMILY****,
(read at ur own risk, u might be disappointed in me tho)

Notes:

This is the last of my pre written chapters 😬

I'll still do my best to get one out every Sunday but as of today.... nothing is certain

Chapter 19: A State of Agony (Anakin)

The first thing Anakin could feel was the refreshingly cool hands holding her face. A point of focus in the raging inferno surrounding her.

“Ob-” Those cool hands shifted to press over her lips. Anakin sighed.

“Careful, Nara,” Her beloved rumbled at her. She smiled into his hand before it moved again.

“Careful of what O-” The hand was back.

“You call me Alpha, remember?” Anakin’s eyes lit up.

“I can call you Alpha?” Obi-Wan tilted his head at her. An odd desperation coloring his expression.

“You can call me Alpha,” he confirmed. The back of his hand rested against her forehead.

Anakin smiled up at him and began trying to extract herself from the mountain of blankets her Alpha must have wrapped around her. No wonder she was so warm.

“No, Nara.” Obi-Wan pressed at her shoulders, “You need the warmth.” She continued to squirm under the pressure.

“‘S too hot,” She choked out. Couldn’t he tell she was on fire?

“I know dearest, but the blankets have to stay. Remember what the healers said about hypothermia?” Anakin frowned in thought. The healers? What did they have to do with anything?

She redoubled her efforts, succeeding in freeing one of her arms. Immediately, she put it to use. Trying to pry Obi-Wan’s hands off the cocoon she was trapped in. He held firm.

“You,” Anakin’s own tears cut her off. Obi-Wan’s scent turned sour with distress as he frantically ran a cloth over her face.

“Please don’t cry, Nara,” he begged. A cooling effect followed his hands. It only made her cry more.

“You’re torturing me!” The hands left her at the exclamation. Anakin used the opportunity to throw the layers off of her and shift into a defensive position.

The air of their den made little difference to the fire scorching her. Obi-Wan was in front of her, hands held, open palmed, before him.

“Nara, you feel like ice.” Anakin almost snarled.

“You keep… naming me wrong!” She pointed accusingly at the panicking Alpha before her. She scented the air, he still smelled like Obi-Wan. How could he forget her name?

“It’s what you asked me to call you.” She tilted her head at that, unable to call up such a memory.

“I can’t… can’t remember that.” She let her arms drop to her sides. Obi-Wan immediately approached her with a blanket. Anakin snarled at the offending material.

“Keep that away! It hurts.” The Alpha dropped the item at her direction. He continued to approach. She allowed it.

Obi-Wan shifted to pull her against him. The bare skin of his torso a balm against the rising inferno of the room.

Anakin whined at the sensation. Frantically wrapping her arms around to his back, she pressed as much of herself to him as she could.

As the flames died down a bit, some clarity returned to her.

“I’m in heat,” it was a fact. A simple statement. Anakin couldn’t even pry herself from Obi-Wan’s chest to say it to his face. She could feel him shift in acknowledgement, even as her mind fought to escape her. She was glad it was Obi-Wan with her, there was no one she wanted or trusted more.

“Yes, dearest.” Was the soft reply.

“Why do you let me call you Alpha?” The haze was returning.

“To keep you safe.” Anakin pressed herself more into the coolness below her. Afraid for a moment that he would cast her away. He had never wanted her before, what had changed?

“Nara, will you let me rest on top of you? I don’t like your back so exposed.” Anakin scowled again.

“You keep calling me that.” A spike of hurt drove through her heart as she moved to comply with his request.

Obi-Wan settled over her. Maneuvering so that as much of him covered her as possible. The pressure against the nest sparked a purr in her chest. Anakin allowed him to place a thin plasteel rod in her mouth.

“Al-” Obi-Wan snapped her mouth shut around the intrusion.

“Give it a moment, dearest. Then you can shout at me if you want.” Why would she want to shout at him? Had he hit his head?

Anakin lifted a hand to check over his scalp. Since it was already there, she ran it through his hair. Her Alpha has such nice hair. The sides of it were a bit prematurely grey, it added a gentle charm to it.

After pulling the thin rod out of her mouth, Obi-Wan began to mutter a bit frantically under his breath. Absently, Anakin considered that normally she would be able to hear such a ruckus. Obi-Wan was close enough to hear so it must be fine.

Anakin reached up to tug her Alpha more securely against her. How they were resting gave her easy access to the glands at his throat. She took full advantage of this, drifting her nose across the spot.

Obi-Wan jerked back when she dared to lick it.

“Dearest! What are you doing?” Anakin tilted her head at the question. She could only reply with an inquisitive chirp. It set off the muttering again.

Her Alpha was being stupid. She reached up to pull him down again but he dodged her efforts. Keeping his neck an arm’s length away from her.

“You can’t bite me.” Anakin frowned. Didn’t he know he was supposed to bite first? Her Alpha wasn’t normally this dumb.

“My Alpha.” Obi-Wan let out a frustrated noise.

“We can talk about that later, dearest, but you still can’t bite me.” Anakin tilted her neck in the most obscene invitation she could. Displaying her mating gland unashamedly.

She whined when Obi-Wan reeled back. The muttering returned in force. All she could catch was ‘heat’ and ‘mind’ as the Alpha bit into the discarded blanket.

He had never wanted her, why would that change now?

Anakin shifted to the opposite edge of the nest, tucking her face to her knees. She couldn’t stop herself from shaking as she choked on her sobs. Her Alpha didn’t want her. Why would he?

“Dearest,” he sounded wounded. Anakin shook her head, refusing to show how much attention she was giving to him. She curled further into herself, clawing at her arms in distress.

“No, don’t hurt yourself.” Obi-Wan captured her hands with his own. Anakin leaned forward at the relief of his touch.

She tried, halfheartedly, to remove herself from his grasp.

“You don’t want me,” she accused. Finally daring to stare directly into her Alpha’s eyes.

“My dear, I am here with you, to help you, because you are my first priority.” She couldn’t bring herself to understand what he was trying to say.

He didn’t say that he wanted her. He made no moves toward her neck. He must pity her.

She would take what she could get, even if it wasn’t real. Anakin slumped into his chest, welcoming the cool skin against her forehead.

The relief didn’t last long. Soon Anakin’s skin began to itch and crawl. If her hands were free, she would have tried to flay her own back to get some respite.

“Alpha…” she cried, feeling quite pathetic though she couldn’t remember why, “hurts.”

Ever gentle, Obi-Wan transferred her wrists to one hand, softly running the other over her back and arms. A wordless croon falling from his lips to soothe her.

She wasn’t touching enough of him. The pressure of Obi-Wan’s form was good, but not enough. She needed more.

“Not…enough,” she growled into him. Obi-Wan seemed to pay no mind to her words, if that's what had left her lips. She would have to take action if her Alpha was being dumb again.

Something in how she was slowly disengaging from him lit a fire under her Alpha. He settled her back and gave a small effort to offer her a blanket before turning away from her. She couldn’t see what he was doing but that didn’t matter.

Taking advantage of the stubborn Alpha’s distraction, Anakin began peeling off the thin underclothes that were sticking to her chest. The offending articles put up a fight, but the relief of removing the fabric from her skin was worth the energy it took. Anakin tossed it out of the nest with much prejudice, pleased to find that it took some of the itchiness with it.

Obi-Wan turned to her when she expressed a small noise of triumph. A concerned chirp soon followed when the Alpha stopped breathing. Anakin shot forward. She couldn't lose him now! What had he choked on to make him turn so red?

“Alpha!” Obi-Wan coughed, casting his eyes to the ceiling and taking a deep breath. Thank the Force. Anakin mimicked him, breathing deeply through her nose. Feasting on the scent directly in front of her.

She couldn't bear to be even an inch away from him. Anakin pressed their bare chests together, tucking her head under his chin. Her Alpha didn’t move. Anakin rumbled in distress. Pushing more of her weight into the man until he leaned back onto the nest.

Anakin wanted to burrow into his skin. She needed to be connected to her Alpha, more than air. Her neck throbbed. Torturously, the skin remained unblemished.

“More…” she whispered desperately, the heat beginning to localize in her abdomen. It carried with it a hollowness she couldn’t recall feeling before.

It didn’t feel right.

She needed him to burrow into her.

She needed her Alpha.

“Alpha…” Obi-Wan’s hands brushed over her shoulders, down her sides, and back up. Soft shushing noises mocked her.

“So empty,” Anakin raised her head to focus on her Alpha’s face. Her vision was blurry with tears. She tried to push her hips against her Alpha’s. His hands quickly foiled that. They gripped her gently, but firm enough to trap her.

“I know, dearest,” he crooned, “We’ll have to wait it out. I’ll be with you the whole time.”

Anakin began to cry in earnest. Obi-Wan shifted her to straddle his thigh as he brushed aside the evidence of her distress. His careful hands roaming everywhere but where she wanted them. Where she needed them.

Couldn’t he see she was hurting? Was she so unwanted that he would do nothing to help her?

“I won’t leave your side,” Anakin couldn’t help but press her hips against him as she cried. He didn’t stop her this time, shifting so that she could get more purchase against his thigh.

“Get it all out, Love. It’s okay,” Obi-Wan resumed running his hands all over her. Switching between rubbing her shoulders and lower back. Fingers digging deep into the muscle to relieve some tension as she rocked against him.

It wasn’t enough.

A hand gently gripped her own. Prying it from her Alpha’s chest and moving it toward her abdomen. Anakin looked up from her focus to meet the eyes of her beloved. He met her without reservation.

Slowly, her hand was guided to the waistband of her shorts. He dipped her fingers below the edge, not following with his own.

“Take care of yourself, Love. I’ll be alright.” Anakin didn’t look away from the earnestness in his eyes. With his permission, her hand continued downward.

Her core was blisteringly hot at her fingertips. She almost jerked her hand away if not for the sweet relief of pleasure. Despite the pain, she could only press more firmly into the raw sensation of flesh against flesh.

Obi-Wan’s hands resumed their massaging as she writhed against his leg. Crying out and arching at the pleasure pain of sensation after being so long on the edge.

Her world narrowed to a pinpoint. Obi-Wan had clamped his hand harshly over the gland at her throat just as she ruthlessly rubbed over her clit.

Anakin couldn’t help but cry out as she fell fully against her Alpha. Body spasming at the aftershocks rolling through her whole being.

Her hand stilled as she began to drift away. Lulled into bliss by the sensation of Obi-Wan’s hand still pressing by her neck.

Notes:

It is mildly explicit for all that they don't have sex and Obi-Wan does not touch her that intimately