Thicker Than Blood

Chapter 6

I woke early in the morning, feeling groggy and, ironically, worn-out, but I was too tired to care. I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling. Then I realized what had woken me up. Something had buzzed in my belt.

Reaching into it wearily, I drew out the transmitter, fingering it for a moment. Obi-Wan was sleeping quietly, though I detected hints of restlessness and exasperation from his dreams. I glanced back at the device in my hands, then pressed the center button. The spokes popped up, the screen flickered into life, and a message appeared on the screen.

"Your friend is keeping things from you. He is betraying you. Friends tell each other what is happening. What does that make him?"

I stared. How did he know that Obi-Wan wasn't talking to me?! He must have been spying on us. That was more than just unsettling.

I slipped the transmitter back into my belt pocket and let out a sigh. Maybe he knew what Obi-Wan was hiding. A thought crept into my mind, leaving an acid trail of biting blame on my head. Maybe Obi-Wan was bound by the same threat as I was. Perhaps Maul had given him information and then told him that he couldn't divulge it to anyone else. If that were the case, I was guilty of holding against him what he couldn't give – no matter how much he wanted to.

I chewed my lip as shame burrowed a hole in my heart, leaving an ugly tear. How could I have been so blind? "I can't wait ...." If he really was secretly watching us, then he would have seen me fail time and time again. I felt the weight of my mistaken assumption crushing on my chest. If I hadn't been so wrapped up in my frustration yesterday, I would have realized a bomb was about to explode, and I could have done something about it. Ahsoka wouldn't be gone, and Obi-Wan wouldn't be injured. The implications of my faulty judgment on Obi-Wan squeezed itself around me like a vice, squashing the breath out of me. How could I have stabbed my friend in the back so badly? What did that make me?

By the time Obi-Wan woke up, nearly an hour later, I was an emotional wreck. I had become my own worst enemy, but I wasn't prepared to let him know. I still had a job to do, and no amount of beating myself up would change that. I would just have to live with the consequences of my decisions and move on – like that was going to happen. Sometimes I amuse even myself.

I wriggled out of my sleeping bag, then swung my legs over the side of the bed and tugged on my boots. I pulled a smile at Obi-Wan, trying not to fix my attention on the burn on his face. Somehow it seemed worse than it did last night. "Morning. How'd you sleep?"

He yawned quietly, stretching stiffly, and winced just enough to send a fresh wave of regret washing over me. I shoved up my mental shields to stop him from sensing my emotions, which caused him to give me a quizzical look, but he only answered my question. "Not too badly, thank you. And yourself?"

I didn't meet his eye. "I woke up a bit early, but it wasn't awful. How're you feeling?"

He rubbed his face tiredly, then stopped when he brushed the burn. I crunched my gloved hand into a fist. He paused a moment to consider his answer. "I'm doing pretty good, I think. How about you?" The way his eyes searched me ... it was like he could see right through me.

I shrugged and stood up. "I'm tired, but what's new? Are you ready for another day of planet saving?"

He pulled on his boots, then straightened. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Then he put his hand on my shoulder. "We'll get through this, Anakin – together."

I placed my hand over his, but I couldn't bring myself to look at him. "We're a team, Obi-Wan. What can't we face?"

"Apparently you can't face me," he responded lightly, though I detected concealed concern in his voice.