His Guiding Star (Obi-Wan Kenobi)

Chapter Five

"Pray tell." Anakin mumbled under his breath.

Theo cocked his head slightly.

"You don't seem to like plans too much."

"Yes, Anakin often does the opposite of what the council says," Obi-Wan agreed. "I'm surprised he's staying put." Anakin looked extremely offended at this, but Theo spoke before he could.

"As long as no one replaces Lia. She does the dangerous stuff, always."

"I knew you lot were more equipped with this business than you initially presented yourselves. I also don't understand why Talia and Anakin don't get along. You two are very similar." Obi-Wan grinned at Anakin, receiving a glare in return.

"Master, she threw me." 

"Oh yes, and it was quite an amusing display."

"You snuck up on her." Theo replied calmly, not looking up from his monitors.

"At least someone helped you, Anakin."

"Yes, be grateful for my sister's generosity," Theo glanced over at Zoe, tension still present in his muscles. "Pardon Zoe, by the way. She has sleeping issues. We all do. Talia has it the worst though."

Anakin looked sympathetic.

"I can relate. I have terrible nightmares often."

"This isn't that. She can't sleep. At all," he gestured to the sleeping brunette on the sofa. "Zoe stays awake all night and as you can see she drifts to sleep throughout the day. And Talia will now likely kill me for telling you this." He looked sheepish and stared at his feet. "Well... did she show you around?"

"Enough to get a feel for the place"

"She only showed you the bedrooms, didn't she?"

"Yes."

"Looks like it's up to me then," Theo sighed. "This place is much larger than this. Zoe is fine here so no need to wake her up," his gaze lingered on her for a moment. "I hope she gets enough sleep today." 

His eyes then shot to the monitors.

"Everything looks fine outside, so let's go."

The tour was relatively uneventful. Theo showed them around the place, explaining the stories behind certain objects in each room of their unit. Obi-Wan tried to listen to his chatter, but found himself increasingly distracted by Anakin, who seemed lost in thought.

He shot a glance towards Theo, who had already seemed to notice how distracted Anakin was. No emotion showed on the younger man's face. He strode on ahead of them, coming to a stop at a door painted all in black. He pushed it open, standing back to allow them through. The room was small, more industrial than anything else, with scraps of metal and wires in neat piles on a desk in the corner.

"And, lastly, here is my invention room," Theo leaned against the doorway, his eyes never leaving the two of them. "Think you can find your way around now?"

"Yes, I have a better picture, thank you." Obi-Wan smiled warmly at him. He didn't miss the confusion that crossed Theo's face, the slight crease that appeared between his brows.

"Sure, you're- you're welcome," he stuttered, dropping his gaze as he fidgeted with his hands. There was a pause. Theo broke the silence. "I'll go check on Lia."

Once Theo had gone, Obi-Wan turned to Anakin, blue eyes soft.

"Anakin, I know what you're thinking about," he clasped his shoulder, meeting his old friend's eyes. "Padmé is safe right now, my friend," his eyes softened even more. "We can't have you running off and blowing this mission over her."

He swore he could see tears in his eyes. 

Obi-Wan sighed. 

"She's pregnant, isn't she?"

"Yes master, she is," Anakin averted his gaze, his brow creased in worry. "Now that I know of a plot to kill her, I don't know what to do. I just want her in my arms, safe and sound."

"She'll be alright, Anakin." Obi-Wan didn't know what more to say. Anakin shook his head, trying not to cry.

"I'm getting these terrible nightmares of her dying."

"Anakin, look at me," Anakin looked up at him, and Obi-Wan made sure to hold his apprentice's gaze as he said his next words. "I'll always be here for you."

He knew how he felt. Satine had been so precious to him, and even he had struggled with his grief when she'd died. Even now, he still felt it at the corners of his mind, waiting to take over with one mistake.

Obi-Wan would rather die than let that happen to Anakin.