One Path Chapter 45--An Unbreakable Trust
Title:An Unbreakable Trust
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: It was easy to convince himself that his illusion was reality...
Rating: PG
Length: Around 2300 words
Category: Gen
Pairings/Characters: Obidala mentioned, chapter's pretty much Anakin/little Ani stuff
A/N: One Path Chapter 45. Set during an alternate RotS.
An Unbreakable Trust
The landing platform swirled and glistened in a shining haze of unshed tears as Anakin Kenobi watched his father's ship disappear. A calloused finger touched his chin, and he turned to look down into his uncle's bright, blue-green eyes. The Knight casually brushed a tear from Ani's face and offered a smile.
"He'll be back soon," he promised.
Ani nodded firm agreement. "He'll get Grievious, too."
"You bet he will," replied Anakin.
"I wish you were going with him," Ani sighed. "Who's s'posed to keep him safe?"
"He's still got Commander Cody and all those clones. They've gotta be as good as one of me, right?" one side of Anakin's mouth turned up teasingly.
"I guess," Ani allowed, his gaze drifting back toward the sky, where the ship was a faint dot on the horizon.
"Hey," said Anakin. "You wanna come back to the Temple with me tonight?"
"You're tryin'a distract me," Ani told him, tilting his head knowingly.
"Yeah. But you can still come to the Temple with me," Anakin shrugged.
"What about Mom?" he asked.
"We can call her when we get there," his uncle replied, starting back toward the speeder.
Ani sighed and rolled his eyes. "Uncle Anakin."
"What…?" asked the Knight with a mischievous glint in his eye.
"She said we were s'posed to be back in time for dinner," the boy reminded him.
Anakin frowned. "She did, didn't she?"
"Uh-huh," nodded Ani.
"Well," Anakin said as he set the boy in the passenger seat and busied himself with strapping him in. "Lemme think about that."
"Right," Ani ran a hand over his face.
Anakin pulled back and gave him a long look. "You're starting to sound like your dad."
"And that's a bad thing?" Ani asked.
"The jury's out on that," replied his uncle as he walked around to slide into the other side of the vehicle.
"He told me to keep you out of trouble," Ani pointed out.
"Yeah, he did. Wait, I got it," said Anakin.
"Got what?"
"She told us to be back in time for dinner before she knew you were sleeping at the Temple tonight. It doesn't count now," Anakin decided.
"Okay…" Ani's voice trailed off as the speeder rose into the air.
***
"Okay…" Padme said reluctantly.
"Yay!" her son hopped up and down in front of the view screen.
She smiled. Bail had scheduled a meeting early the next morning, and she supposed it would be good to have Ani somewhere else. She could leave without having to explain herself to Threepio or the handmaidens. Slipping past security was always more difficult with a four-year-old in tow, and if she had left him with them, she would have had to tell them where she was going. It was not out of the ordinary for her to meet with other senators, especially Bail Organa, in the course of her daily activities, but she thought it would be best if no one was aware of anything that might even be perceived as clandestine involvement in an organized resistance to the Chancellor.
"Are you sure it won't be any trouble?" she asked Anakin again. So far, the Jedi had been nothing but welcoming to Ani, but an occasional visit to the temple with his father might be different from spending the night there. Given their view of attachment, she wondered if they might begin to object to his close relationship with Anakin. The Kenobis already felt themselves to be a sort of surrogate family to the young Knight, and he had become like a second father to their son, but Jedi weren't supposed to have family.
"The place is almost empty already," Anakin shrugged. "Hardly anyone here except the younglings. I doubt anyone will object."
"What about your duties?" Padme frowned.
"I made my report to the Chancellor already. That's where I was when you sent me the message from your office," he explained.
"All right," Padme said, more decisively this time. "He can stay until I get home from the Senate tomorrow."
"Thanks, Mom!"
"Ani, listen. Behave yourself--and no cake for dinner," warned Padme.
"Awww…" Anakin sighed.
Padme raised a hand to her face and stifled a laugh. Ani grinned at his namesake, and she realized that she would probably be awakened in the middle of the night by an overwhelmed uncle who was not equipped to deal with a little boy's stomachache. "No cake for dinner" didn't mean "no dessert." Of course, she would let them have their fun anyway.
"I'll see you tomorrow," she said with a fond shake of her head. She blew the view screen a kiss and ended the call, still laughing to herself as she walked out of the bedroom.
***
For the rest of the day, Anakin Skywalker forgot the war. He even forgot Obi Wan. He became what he most wanted to be--perfectly at peace, exploring the Jedi Temple with his young friend. They sat in on a training session with the Bear Clan, and he hid a grin because Ani was disappointed to hear that Master Windu was conducting the class because Yoda was already gone to Kashyyyk. Mace shot him a look that said he was well aware of the Knight's amusement and did not find the situation so funny. They walked the gardens and had dinner in the Temple commissary.
To Ani, all of these things were amazing--as fantastic as his trip to Dex's Diner and then some. Had that really been just a few days ago? Watching the boy, Anakin wasn't sure whether it seemed as though that day had just ended or if it had happened in another life altogether. So much had changed since then--so much that he had come to rely upon, his bedrock, his buffer against the turbulence inside of him, the mainstay that kept him anchored through the swirling storm of darkness around him--in him.
He pushed those thoughts aside and focused on Ani. The boy was bubbling with questions again, and perfectly willing to accept whatever answers that Anakin provided as the absolute truth. Of course, every answer sparked a cascade of further inquiries, and he began to wonder how Padme and Obi Wan ever managed to accomplish anything if they had to devote so much of their time and energy to their son. He also started to develop a certain sympathy for Obi Wan, recalling all the times he had plagued his former teacher with questions like this.
Eventually, Obi Wan's solution would always be to set him to some Jedi exercise meant to quiet his mind and focus his excess of energy on learning. As the thought occurred to him, Anakin was suddenly struck with inspiration. With dinner over, he took Ani into one of the empty training rooms and had him hold open a mesh bag while he grabbed an assortment of remotes and other training devices from the neatly arranged shelves. As an afterthought, he also took a battered old helmet from one of the hooks on the wall and plopped it on the boy's head.
They made a rather comical procession on their way to the temple roof, but the few Jedi who paused to talk with them in the hallways displayed only mild curiosity. However, when the turbolift opened to reveal Master Windu, Anakin felt his stomach drop. Despite the fact that he had already been a Knight for two years, his relationship with this man was still very much that of a student to a teacher. He believed that he had earned the Master's respect, but Mace was an intense man, and he tended to be hardest on those under his direct tutelage. The last few months of the war seemed to have made him even more gruff and disapproving--of everything--but especially of Anakin.
Now he gently lifted an eyebrow and peered down at Ani. Then his eyes moved slowly upward and settled on the Knight's face with a silent question. Anakin let his hand fall lightly onto his namesake's shoulder and led him onto the lift. The doors slid closed again, and Anakin pressed the button for the roof, then turned to studiously examine the emblem of the Jedi Order emblazoned on the doors.
"Good evening, my Master," he said casually.
"Anakin," Mace nodded, then looked back at Ani and allowed a very faint hint of smile to raise the left corner of his mouth. "Young Kenobi."
"Good evening, Master Windu," Ani said gravely.
Anakin coughed and raised a fist to his lips. "Ani's mind was restless, Master. I thought some training before bed…"
Mace accepted this explanation with typical silence. He clasped his hands and pressed two fingers to his lips, regarding them thoughtfully. To another, his expression might have seemed utterly unchanged. In the space of a few moments, though, Anakin saw the familiar glower shift from surprised to distinctly disapproving to something that almost resembled affectionate.
"Very well," he said as the lift stopped. The doors whooshed softly open again, and the Master swept out, robes billowing in his wake.
The two Anakins stared after him with wide eyes. Ani finally turned and stared up at his uncle in disbelief. "I thought you were gonna get it!"
"So did I," Anakin admitted, leaning over to press the button again and continue their journey to the roof.
"Why'd he let you get away with it?" Ani frowned.
"Don't know," said Anakin thoughtfully. He rubbed his chin, considering the question. It was one thing to let Ani come here. The Jedi were still the closest thing to family that Obi Wan had, which made them Ani's family in a way, too. Master Yoda seemed to have some special affinity with the boy, and apparently, so did Master Windu. Still, that was very different from letting him be trained here, without formal acceptance into the Order or even the supervision of a recognized Master. There was little they could do if Obi Wan wanted to instruct him; he was the boy's father. Anakin, however, had hardly expected a member of the Jedi Council to allow him to teach Ani--especially not in a setting like this, where the training was part of a sleepover and not conducted with the requisite solemnity and decorum. Perhaps Obi Wan wasn't the only one who realized how deeply his current assignment troubled him. Maybe Obi Wan wasn't the one who trusted him, either. Behind his hand, a surprised smile touched Anakin Skywalker's lips. Could it be that his Master truly realized how important this boy was to him--that Mace understood the unexpected peace that Ani brought to his mind and heart?
He was still mulling over these questions when they stepped onto the roof. Ani looked around in astonishment at the burnished gold sky. Anakin kept a hand on his shoulder and stood watching the Coruscanti sunset. A light wind whipped their hair and rippled pleasantly through their clothing.
"What are we gonna do first, Uncle?" Ani asked.
He smiled and winked, then busied himself with emptying the bag he'd brought along. He found it slightly surprising that Ani was content to watch and wait. He would have still been firing questions while Obi Wan worked--if Obi Wan even started this way, of course. In all likelihood, the lesson would have begun with a lecture on the importance of patience, and then at least fifteen minutes of boring breathing exercises which, as far as Anakin was concerned, served no other purpose than to force him to stop talking. He recalled having spent most of them contemplating the things that he would do differently when he became the Master.
So, that was exactly what he did now--or at least what he pretended. Ani wasn't his Padawan and never would be, but it was easy to convince himself that his illusion was reality. Dodgebolt was a simple game meant to heighten a youngling's ability to sense and avoid danger through the Force. The low-powered remotes would cause no real harm, although their shots did sting, but learning to block those shots would teach a youngling to heed the warnings of the Force in combat. Of course, the game was usually conducted with training sabers for their protection. Anakin had brought one with him, but impulsively discarded it in favor of his own weapon--the weapon of a Jedi Knight. He knew that Ani was ready for it; he had heard what the boy had done with Qui-Gon's lightsaber. That couldn't have been the only time that he had used the weapon, and even if it was, Anakin had no doubt that he could keep the boy safe.
He looked ridiculous with the face-shield down over his eyes, too-big lightsaber clutched in both hands, doing a familiar little jiggling, hopping dance whenever one of the remotes managed to score a hit. At first, those hits came almost every time. Anakin, however, didn't laugh. He knew how humiliating this game could be--knew the sensation of feeling that everyone in the Temple was laughing, which stung far worse than the low-intensity blaster bolts employed by the remotes. He kept his attention firmly on the boy, both visually and through the Force, well aware of how dangerous a lightsaber could be in untrained hands. He was ready to intervene in the twitch of an eyelash, but he found that there was no need.
The chagrin of failure soon became the joy of success as Ani began to anticipate the danger of an impending sting and avoid it. Anakin felt his elation with each triumph, and he shared it, feeling the boy's confidence begin to grow, feeling his natural, unconscious connection with the Force become something more--something intense and wonderful as he became aware, perhaps for the first time, of the luminous flow, the interconnectedness of everything around him, in a way that only a Jedi could be.
When he grew tired of the game, Anakin didn't press. He quietly took the lightsaber back and hooked it to his belt. Then, the two of them together put the remotes away, and Anakin sat down, resting his back against one of the temple spires. He held out his arms in invitation, and Ani settled between his knees, letting his head fall back against the Knight's shoulder. A hush fell over both of them as they rested their, watching the stars begin to prick their way through the blanket of the Coruscanti night.
"I love you, Uncle Anakin," Ani murmured sleepily.
Anakin pressed his lips to the boy's temple. "I love you, too, son."
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: It was easy to convince himself that his illusion was reality...
Rating: PG
Length: Around 2300 words
Category: Gen
Pairings/Characters: Obidala mentioned, chapter's pretty much Anakin/little Ani stuff
A/N: One Path Chapter 45. Set during an alternate RotS.
An Unbreakable Trust
The landing platform swirled and glistened in a shining haze of unshed tears as Anakin Kenobi watched his father's ship disappear. A calloused finger touched his chin, and he turned to look down into his uncle's bright, blue-green eyes. The Knight casually brushed a tear from Ani's face and offered a smile.
"He'll be back soon," he promised.
Ani nodded firm agreement. "He'll get Grievious, too."
"You bet he will," replied Anakin.
"I wish you were going with him," Ani sighed. "Who's s'posed to keep him safe?"
"He's still got Commander Cody and all those clones. They've gotta be as good as one of me, right?" one side of Anakin's mouth turned up teasingly.
"I guess," Ani allowed, his gaze drifting back toward the sky, where the ship was a faint dot on the horizon.
"Hey," said Anakin. "You wanna come back to the Temple with me tonight?"
"You're tryin'a distract me," Ani told him, tilting his head knowingly.
"Yeah. But you can still come to the Temple with me," Anakin shrugged.
"What about Mom?" he asked.
"We can call her when we get there," his uncle replied, starting back toward the speeder.
Ani sighed and rolled his eyes. "Uncle Anakin."
"What…?" asked the Knight with a mischievous glint in his eye.
"She said we were s'posed to be back in time for dinner," the boy reminded him.
Anakin frowned. "She did, didn't she?"
"Uh-huh," nodded Ani.
"Well," Anakin said as he set the boy in the passenger seat and busied himself with strapping him in. "Lemme think about that."
"Right," Ani ran a hand over his face.
Anakin pulled back and gave him a long look. "You're starting to sound like your dad."
"And that's a bad thing?" Ani asked.
"The jury's out on that," replied his uncle as he walked around to slide into the other side of the vehicle.
"He told me to keep you out of trouble," Ani pointed out.
"Yeah, he did. Wait, I got it," said Anakin.
"Got what?"
"She told us to be back in time for dinner before she knew you were sleeping at the Temple tonight. It doesn't count now," Anakin decided.
"Okay…" Ani's voice trailed off as the speeder rose into the air.
***
"Okay…" Padme said reluctantly.
"Yay!" her son hopped up and down in front of the view screen.
She smiled. Bail had scheduled a meeting early the next morning, and she supposed it would be good to have Ani somewhere else. She could leave without having to explain herself to Threepio or the handmaidens. Slipping past security was always more difficult with a four-year-old in tow, and if she had left him with them, she would have had to tell them where she was going. It was not out of the ordinary for her to meet with other senators, especially Bail Organa, in the course of her daily activities, but she thought it would be best if no one was aware of anything that might even be perceived as clandestine involvement in an organized resistance to the Chancellor.
"Are you sure it won't be any trouble?" she asked Anakin again. So far, the Jedi had been nothing but welcoming to Ani, but an occasional visit to the temple with his father might be different from spending the night there. Given their view of attachment, she wondered if they might begin to object to his close relationship with Anakin. The Kenobis already felt themselves to be a sort of surrogate family to the young Knight, and he had become like a second father to their son, but Jedi weren't supposed to have family.
"The place is almost empty already," Anakin shrugged. "Hardly anyone here except the younglings. I doubt anyone will object."
"What about your duties?" Padme frowned.
"I made my report to the Chancellor already. That's where I was when you sent me the message from your office," he explained.
"All right," Padme said, more decisively this time. "He can stay until I get home from the Senate tomorrow."
"Thanks, Mom!"
"Ani, listen. Behave yourself--and no cake for dinner," warned Padme.
"Awww…" Anakin sighed.
Padme raised a hand to her face and stifled a laugh. Ani grinned at his namesake, and she realized that she would probably be awakened in the middle of the night by an overwhelmed uncle who was not equipped to deal with a little boy's stomachache. "No cake for dinner" didn't mean "no dessert." Of course, she would let them have their fun anyway.
"I'll see you tomorrow," she said with a fond shake of her head. She blew the view screen a kiss and ended the call, still laughing to herself as she walked out of the bedroom.
***
For the rest of the day, Anakin Skywalker forgot the war. He even forgot Obi Wan. He became what he most wanted to be--perfectly at peace, exploring the Jedi Temple with his young friend. They sat in on a training session with the Bear Clan, and he hid a grin because Ani was disappointed to hear that Master Windu was conducting the class because Yoda was already gone to Kashyyyk. Mace shot him a look that said he was well aware of the Knight's amusement and did not find the situation so funny. They walked the gardens and had dinner in the Temple commissary.
To Ani, all of these things were amazing--as fantastic as his trip to Dex's Diner and then some. Had that really been just a few days ago? Watching the boy, Anakin wasn't sure whether it seemed as though that day had just ended or if it had happened in another life altogether. So much had changed since then--so much that he had come to rely upon, his bedrock, his buffer against the turbulence inside of him, the mainstay that kept him anchored through the swirling storm of darkness around him--in him.
He pushed those thoughts aside and focused on Ani. The boy was bubbling with questions again, and perfectly willing to accept whatever answers that Anakin provided as the absolute truth. Of course, every answer sparked a cascade of further inquiries, and he began to wonder how Padme and Obi Wan ever managed to accomplish anything if they had to devote so much of their time and energy to their son. He also started to develop a certain sympathy for Obi Wan, recalling all the times he had plagued his former teacher with questions like this.
Eventually, Obi Wan's solution would always be to set him to some Jedi exercise meant to quiet his mind and focus his excess of energy on learning. As the thought occurred to him, Anakin was suddenly struck with inspiration. With dinner over, he took Ani into one of the empty training rooms and had him hold open a mesh bag while he grabbed an assortment of remotes and other training devices from the neatly arranged shelves. As an afterthought, he also took a battered old helmet from one of the hooks on the wall and plopped it on the boy's head.
They made a rather comical procession on their way to the temple roof, but the few Jedi who paused to talk with them in the hallways displayed only mild curiosity. However, when the turbolift opened to reveal Master Windu, Anakin felt his stomach drop. Despite the fact that he had already been a Knight for two years, his relationship with this man was still very much that of a student to a teacher. He believed that he had earned the Master's respect, but Mace was an intense man, and he tended to be hardest on those under his direct tutelage. The last few months of the war seemed to have made him even more gruff and disapproving--of everything--but especially of Anakin.
Now he gently lifted an eyebrow and peered down at Ani. Then his eyes moved slowly upward and settled on the Knight's face with a silent question. Anakin let his hand fall lightly onto his namesake's shoulder and led him onto the lift. The doors slid closed again, and Anakin pressed the button for the roof, then turned to studiously examine the emblem of the Jedi Order emblazoned on the doors.
"Good evening, my Master," he said casually.
"Anakin," Mace nodded, then looked back at Ani and allowed a very faint hint of smile to raise the left corner of his mouth. "Young Kenobi."
"Good evening, Master Windu," Ani said gravely.
Anakin coughed and raised a fist to his lips. "Ani's mind was restless, Master. I thought some training before bed…"
Mace accepted this explanation with typical silence. He clasped his hands and pressed two fingers to his lips, regarding them thoughtfully. To another, his expression might have seemed utterly unchanged. In the space of a few moments, though, Anakin saw the familiar glower shift from surprised to distinctly disapproving to something that almost resembled affectionate.
"Very well," he said as the lift stopped. The doors whooshed softly open again, and the Master swept out, robes billowing in his wake.
The two Anakins stared after him with wide eyes. Ani finally turned and stared up at his uncle in disbelief. "I thought you were gonna get it!"
"So did I," Anakin admitted, leaning over to press the button again and continue their journey to the roof.
"Why'd he let you get away with it?" Ani frowned.
"Don't know," said Anakin thoughtfully. He rubbed his chin, considering the question. It was one thing to let Ani come here. The Jedi were still the closest thing to family that Obi Wan had, which made them Ani's family in a way, too. Master Yoda seemed to have some special affinity with the boy, and apparently, so did Master Windu. Still, that was very different from letting him be trained here, without formal acceptance into the Order or even the supervision of a recognized Master. There was little they could do if Obi Wan wanted to instruct him; he was the boy's father. Anakin, however, had hardly expected a member of the Jedi Council to allow him to teach Ani--especially not in a setting like this, where the training was part of a sleepover and not conducted with the requisite solemnity and decorum. Perhaps Obi Wan wasn't the only one who realized how deeply his current assignment troubled him. Maybe Obi Wan wasn't the one who trusted him, either. Behind his hand, a surprised smile touched Anakin Skywalker's lips. Could it be that his Master truly realized how important this boy was to him--that Mace understood the unexpected peace that Ani brought to his mind and heart?
He was still mulling over these questions when they stepped onto the roof. Ani looked around in astonishment at the burnished gold sky. Anakin kept a hand on his shoulder and stood watching the Coruscanti sunset. A light wind whipped their hair and rippled pleasantly through their clothing.
"What are we gonna do first, Uncle?" Ani asked.
He smiled and winked, then busied himself with emptying the bag he'd brought along. He found it slightly surprising that Ani was content to watch and wait. He would have still been firing questions while Obi Wan worked--if Obi Wan even started this way, of course. In all likelihood, the lesson would have begun with a lecture on the importance of patience, and then at least fifteen minutes of boring breathing exercises which, as far as Anakin was concerned, served no other purpose than to force him to stop talking. He recalled having spent most of them contemplating the things that he would do differently when he became the Master.
So, that was exactly what he did now--or at least what he pretended. Ani wasn't his Padawan and never would be, but it was easy to convince himself that his illusion was reality. Dodgebolt was a simple game meant to heighten a youngling's ability to sense and avoid danger through the Force. The low-powered remotes would cause no real harm, although their shots did sting, but learning to block those shots would teach a youngling to heed the warnings of the Force in combat. Of course, the game was usually conducted with training sabers for their protection. Anakin had brought one with him, but impulsively discarded it in favor of his own weapon--the weapon of a Jedi Knight. He knew that Ani was ready for it; he had heard what the boy had done with Qui-Gon's lightsaber. That couldn't have been the only time that he had used the weapon, and even if it was, Anakin had no doubt that he could keep the boy safe.
He looked ridiculous with the face-shield down over his eyes, too-big lightsaber clutched in both hands, doing a familiar little jiggling, hopping dance whenever one of the remotes managed to score a hit. At first, those hits came almost every time. Anakin, however, didn't laugh. He knew how humiliating this game could be--knew the sensation of feeling that everyone in the Temple was laughing, which stung far worse than the low-intensity blaster bolts employed by the remotes. He kept his attention firmly on the boy, both visually and through the Force, well aware of how dangerous a lightsaber could be in untrained hands. He was ready to intervene in the twitch of an eyelash, but he found that there was no need.
The chagrin of failure soon became the joy of success as Ani began to anticipate the danger of an impending sting and avoid it. Anakin felt his elation with each triumph, and he shared it, feeling the boy's confidence begin to grow, feeling his natural, unconscious connection with the Force become something more--something intense and wonderful as he became aware, perhaps for the first time, of the luminous flow, the interconnectedness of everything around him, in a way that only a Jedi could be.
When he grew tired of the game, Anakin didn't press. He quietly took the lightsaber back and hooked it to his belt. Then, the two of them together put the remotes away, and Anakin sat down, resting his back against one of the temple spires. He held out his arms in invitation, and Ani settled between his knees, letting his head fall back against the Knight's shoulder. A hush fell over both of them as they rested their, watching the stars begin to prick their way through the blanket of the Coruscanti night.
"I love you, Uncle Anakin," Ani murmured sleepily.
Anakin pressed his lips to the boy's temple. "I love you, too, son."