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laniew1 So he was a prisoner again. It was starting to piss him off, just once things should go right for him.
TITLE: Between Space & Time
RATING: R - because Ewan likes to cuss
PAIRING: nothing yet, will end up (eventually) Ewan/Anakin
Author: Melanie
DISCLAIMER: Heh, I own nothing. Ewan owns himself as does anybody else that is a real person in real life. George Lucas owns everyone that that is property of Star Wars. I make no money off of them. Don’t sue.
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 /
Part 12 / Part 13 / Part 14 / Part 15 / Part 16 / Part 17 / Part 18 / Part 19 / Part 20
Between Space & Time – Part 21
So he was a prisoner again. It was starting to piss him off, just once things should go right for him.
Instead he was left wondering if Obi-Wan was a member of some sort of frequent abduction club, some sort of ‘be abducted twice a year and get a free vacation to the destination planet of your choice, be poisoned and get a free upgrade to first class.’
Of course Obi-Wan would probably give those vacations away to charity, not Ewan though. He’d pack a tiny bathing suit and watch Anakin prance around naked on some beach somewhere.
Obi-Wan needed to live a little and if he could only do it while Ewan was in his body oh well.
Besides Obi-Wan had said that Anakin had been trying to get him to take a vacation for years, so really it was just time for one.
Of course all that was dependent on Ewan managing to not actually get himself killed before he managed to get himself rescued.
At least his cell was a step up from the one that Qui-Gon and Padmé had ensconced him within.
All silk and satin and rich velvets.
It looked like something that Padmé would like which then led him to wonder if Padmé had been working with Count Dooku as well.
Which then forced him to remember that Qui-Gon had been working with Dooku and had taken it a step further and was also the Sith Apprentice.
Qui-Gon was a Sith.
Obviously Dooku hadn’t been talking out his ass in the second movie.
He wondered if Obi-Wan had known or if this was going to have to be something that he broke gently to the other man.
Of course Obi-Wan would probably just tell him to kill Qui-Gon, because Sith and Betrayer and it was the right thing to do.
He really just wanted to go home now. He hoped that Obi-Wan wasn’t making a wreck of his life like he was making a wreck of Obi-Wan’s.
If he was fucking up this badly he sort of wanted to believe that Obi-Wan was fucking up as well. Because it didn’t feel right that he kept getting kidnapped and poisoned and had just generally been having a rotten turn of luck while Obi-Wan might be sitting on his deck drinking an ale and watching the sunset with his girls and Jude having a grand old time.
He realized suddenly, with separate pangs of guilt and despair, that he hadn’t even really thought about his girls in over a day yet Anakin had never been far from his thoughts.
He consoled himself by reminding himself that Anakin was here and an immediate concern, seeing how a Sith Master was trying to lure him to the Dark Side of the Force using Ewan as bait strictly for that purpose and his girls were being well taken care of by Eve and Obi-Wan (who seemed a bit terrified of them) and Jude (who Obi-Wan spoke of more than his girls and Ewan tried to think about why that was) and were safe and sound where they were.
Time seemed to be standing still.
He’d had eight meals and unless Dooku was feeding him more frequently than needed, that worked out to three breakfasts, three lunches and two dinners.
So where the hell was Anakin?!
He certainly was taking his own sweet time.
Why hadn’t he flown to his rescue yet?
“Because I don’t want him to,” Dooku stood in the doorway. Dinner number three waiting on a tray held in the hands of the droid directly behind him.
Dooku deigned to eat dinner with him, telling him in excruciating detail how he was going to destroy him once Anakin and Qui-Gon arrived; it appeared he only waited so they could have the dubious honor of watching.
And he wondered why Ewan didn’t have an appetite when he arrived with dinner.
He didn’t eat with him any other time; he probably forgot that Ewan was even on the ship until dinner was ready to be served.
“Stay out of my fucking head,” Ewan growled.
Dooku just smiled in that horribly condescending manner and moved into the room, the droid following at some unseen signal.
“I’m not in your head dear boy. You are just that easy to read.”
Ewan growled again. Because that had been his whole worry back when he’d thought Chancellor Palpatine was the threat.
The fear that his Obi-Wan mask would slip leaving just Ewan in plain sight for all to see.
Luckily Dooku hadn’t seemed to know Obi-Wan all that well so he just thought Ewan’s behavior typical of his amnesia/recovery from the poison that he’d had used on him.
But others, that knew him better. Like Anakin and Qui-Gon… it was a wonder that someone hadn’t discovered the truth yet.
He didn’t count Yoda because Yoda was all-knowing. He was also like his Great-Grandmaster… which if he followed the logic meant that Dooku was his Grandmaster.
Shouldn’t he be trying to protect him not itching to kill him?
Dooku lounged in the chair that he had designated as his. Ewan tried to sit as far from him as he could and still remain at the table where he could eat comfortably if he so chose to do so.
The droid served silently and then faded into the woodwork.
Ewan poked at his food, it was better than the mush but he could never completely drown out the fact that he was expecting Dooku to poison him again.
“I was thinking we might take off that horrible collar when we’ve finished eating,” Dooku said idly, in a ‘just making conversation’ voice.
Ewan’s head snapped up, because was he serious?!
“Are you serious?” he asked suspiciously.
“It pains me to see another Force user being blocked from using it by such primitive means.”
“Then why did you leave it on for three days?”
“I had to make sure that you were going to behave yourself didn’t I. You’ve not tried to escape; I believe that is cause for a reward of some sort.”
“So you’re going to remove the collar?” Ewan asked in disbelief. Because could it really be this easy?
“Well really, what sort of threat are you while confined to these quarters,” Dooku smiled thinly and Ewan shivered. The smile said that Dooku had thought of all avenues and was only removing the collar because he’d removed any and all ways that may have presented themselves to Ewan to escape his clutches.
“You don’t even have your lightsaber,” Dooku laid his fork on the edge of his plate and picked up his wine glass. “Besides…” he raised the glass in a mock toast to Ewan. “You are family after all.”
So much for Dooku not digging around in his head.
“But you’re still going to kill me.”
“It will hurt me to do so,” Dooku touched his chest, a mocking look of sadness on his face. “But it truly is the only way to obtain my goals.”
“If you kill me, Anakin and Qui-Gon will kill you in return and then where will you be?”
“Well if I kill you yes, but I won’t be killing you. Pulling the strings yes, watching yes, but to be the one to actually do the deed. No,” Dooku sounded almost disappointed at the thought that he wasn’t going to be the one to end his life and Ewan lost what little appetite he’d had when the food had been put down and pushed his plate away.
“Done eating?” Dooku nodded at the droid and it came forward to begin removing the remains of their meal. “Let’s take that troublesome collar off you, shall we?”
“Why don’t you just leave it on? I mean what’s the point if you’re just going to kill me anyway,” Ewan muttered bitterly.
“Well how do you think young Skywalker and Qui-Gon Jinn are going to find you?” Dooku touched the back of his neck, fingers pressing on the collar and his skin and Ewan fought every urge to skitter away.
Having Dooku touch him was worse than having Padmé touch him.
He wouldn’t have thought it possible.
He felt the Force flooding through him before the collar even fell totally away. He was relieved he was sitting because the feelings and emotions that raced through him would have driven him to his knees otherwise.
Almost without thinking he found and pulled that thin link that led him to Anakin.
Fear and pain and anger flooding him in response.
Anakin was scared and then suddenly pleased as he realized that it was Ewan’s presence he was feeling through the Force.
He tried to send a warning, tried to tell Anakin to not come for him (and not just because he didn’t want to die, though that was a big reason) but Dooku clamped a hand down on his shoulder and suddenly he couldn’t sense Anakin any longer.
“Now, now Obi-Wan. Don’t make me decide that I’ve made the wrong decision and place the collar back on you. Neither one of us will enjoy that.”
***************************************************************
He was pacing again. Anakin was getting tired of pacing; he would rather be doing something productive that would lead to the recovery of Obi-Wan so he could stop having to be polite to Qui-Gon Jinn.
Although maybe that was a moot point as it seemed that Mace Windu had already decided to cease being polite to the former Jedi Master.
They were now arguing about a ship that was in range of where they supposed Obi-Wan’s shuttle to be and whether or not they should be trying to contact it to help in the recovery of Obi-Wan.
Anakin thought not, as did Mace Windu (which bothered him a little but not as much as having to agree with Qui-Gon would have), Qui-Gon on the other hand thought that anything that got Obi-Wan back quicker was worth taking the risk.
Anakin thought Qui-Gon was a fool and on top of that a fool that had possibly lost touch with the Force.
Because that ship, the one that Qui-Gon was pointing at and trying to make convincing arguments to contact, felt wrong.
And not just wrong in a way that meant Separatists or bounty hunters or smugglers. But wrong in a way that signaled to Anakin that they didn’t want that ship being anywhere near Obi-Wan because they might not see him again. And if they did he would not be in one piece.
He had made a half a mind up to just go gag Qui-Gon, then tell Mace to do whatever he deemed necessary but to do something now because he was tired of waiting and if forced to do so for much longer he would take things into his own hands, when he felt the surge.
His knees buckled and he went down, hard. At the console Mace Windu and Qui-Gon Jinn were no better off.
Both clutching the edge of it like it was the only thing keeping them from joining Anakin on the floor.
And then he felt it. The briefest touch of Obi-Wan’s mind against his and it was like a breath of fresh air, like drinking a glass of cool, clean water after living on a ship for months at a time.
Anakin suddenly felt hope like he hadn’t felt in years. Because Obi-Wan was back, his Master was free of that damnable collar and was once again a strong, familiar presence within the Force and his mind.
Then he felt the fear, felt Obi-Wan pushing at him to stay away and there was no way in seven hells that he was going to do that… and then Obi-Wan was gone.
Thought not totally, just dimmed like someone had suddenly thrown a dimmer switch and turned his Force presence down.
He looked up to meet Mace Windu’s eyes; it did not make him feel any better to see the Jedi Master looked just as confused as he felt.
But Qui-Gon Jinn looked horrified. Scared. And for just a moment, a brief second Anakin himself felt that terror, before he locked it away and pushed himself back to his feet.
“What do you know?” he asked it steadily, and Qui-Gon just stared at him in incomprehension. Like he’d never seen Anakin before, then his face cleared and went blank, unreadable.
“That was the wrong ship to ask for assistance,” he conceded, speaking to Mace but staring at Anakin. Mace narrowed his eyes, much in the same manner that Anakin himself currently was.
“What do you know?” Anakin repeated himself. Because Qui-Gon knew something. Knew who that ship belonged to and just what was happening to Obi-Wan as they were speaking.
Qui-Gon remained silent just staring and it was beginning to irritate him, another second and he was pulling his lightsaber and wielding it to get the answers he wanted. Mace Windu and the Dark Side of the Force be damned.
“Answer the boy Qui-Gon Jinn,” Mace straightened his posture and Anakin had never seen him so foreboding. Not even when he was lecturing Anakin on some folly or lecturing Obi-Wan for allowing it.
Qui-Gon closed his eyes and Anakin shivered slightly, even though there was no noticeable breeze.
Obi-Wan was frightened.
And suddenly he didn’t want Qui-Gon to respond at all, wanted him to remain silent and not speak the words that he knew were coming.
“Count Dooku has him.”
***************************************************************
TITLE: Between Space & Time
RATING: R - because Ewan likes to cuss
PAIRING: nothing yet, will end up (eventually) Ewan/Anakin
Author: Melanie
DISCLAIMER: Heh, I own nothing. Ewan owns himself as does anybody else that is a real person in real life. George Lucas owns everyone that that is property of Star Wars. I make no money off of them. Don’t sue.
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 /
Part 12 / Part 13 / Part 14 / Part 15 / Part 16 / Part 17 / Part 18 / Part 19 / Part 20
Between Space & Time – Part 21
So he was a prisoner again. It was starting to piss him off, just once things should go right for him.
Instead he was left wondering if Obi-Wan was a member of some sort of frequent abduction club, some sort of ‘be abducted twice a year and get a free vacation to the destination planet of your choice, be poisoned and get a free upgrade to first class.’
Of course Obi-Wan would probably give those vacations away to charity, not Ewan though. He’d pack a tiny bathing suit and watch Anakin prance around naked on some beach somewhere.
Obi-Wan needed to live a little and if he could only do it while Ewan was in his body oh well.
Besides Obi-Wan had said that Anakin had been trying to get him to take a vacation for years, so really it was just time for one.
Of course all that was dependent on Ewan managing to not actually get himself killed before he managed to get himself rescued.
At least his cell was a step up from the one that Qui-Gon and Padmé had ensconced him within.
All silk and satin and rich velvets.
It looked like something that Padmé would like which then led him to wonder if Padmé had been working with Count Dooku as well.
Which then forced him to remember that Qui-Gon had been working with Dooku and had taken it a step further and was also the Sith Apprentice.
Qui-Gon was a Sith.
Obviously Dooku hadn’t been talking out his ass in the second movie.
He wondered if Obi-Wan had known or if this was going to have to be something that he broke gently to the other man.
Of course Obi-Wan would probably just tell him to kill Qui-Gon, because Sith and Betrayer and it was the right thing to do.
He really just wanted to go home now. He hoped that Obi-Wan wasn’t making a wreck of his life like he was making a wreck of Obi-Wan’s.
If he was fucking up this badly he sort of wanted to believe that Obi-Wan was fucking up as well. Because it didn’t feel right that he kept getting kidnapped and poisoned and had just generally been having a rotten turn of luck while Obi-Wan might be sitting on his deck drinking an ale and watching the sunset with his girls and Jude having a grand old time.
He realized suddenly, with separate pangs of guilt and despair, that he hadn’t even really thought about his girls in over a day yet Anakin had never been far from his thoughts.
He consoled himself by reminding himself that Anakin was here and an immediate concern, seeing how a Sith Master was trying to lure him to the Dark Side of the Force using Ewan as bait strictly for that purpose and his girls were being well taken care of by Eve and Obi-Wan (who seemed a bit terrified of them) and Jude (who Obi-Wan spoke of more than his girls and Ewan tried to think about why that was) and were safe and sound where they were.
Time seemed to be standing still.
He’d had eight meals and unless Dooku was feeding him more frequently than needed, that worked out to three breakfasts, three lunches and two dinners.
So where the hell was Anakin?!
He certainly was taking his own sweet time.
Why hadn’t he flown to his rescue yet?
“Because I don’t want him to,” Dooku stood in the doorway. Dinner number three waiting on a tray held in the hands of the droid directly behind him.
Dooku deigned to eat dinner with him, telling him in excruciating detail how he was going to destroy him once Anakin and Qui-Gon arrived; it appeared he only waited so they could have the dubious honor of watching.
And he wondered why Ewan didn’t have an appetite when he arrived with dinner.
He didn’t eat with him any other time; he probably forgot that Ewan was even on the ship until dinner was ready to be served.
“Stay out of my fucking head,” Ewan growled.
Dooku just smiled in that horribly condescending manner and moved into the room, the droid following at some unseen signal.
“I’m not in your head dear boy. You are just that easy to read.”
Ewan growled again. Because that had been his whole worry back when he’d thought Chancellor Palpatine was the threat.
The fear that his Obi-Wan mask would slip leaving just Ewan in plain sight for all to see.
Luckily Dooku hadn’t seemed to know Obi-Wan all that well so he just thought Ewan’s behavior typical of his amnesia/recovery from the poison that he’d had used on him.
But others, that knew him better. Like Anakin and Qui-Gon… it was a wonder that someone hadn’t discovered the truth yet.
He didn’t count Yoda because Yoda was all-knowing. He was also like his Great-Grandmaster… which if he followed the logic meant that Dooku was his Grandmaster.
Shouldn’t he be trying to protect him not itching to kill him?
Dooku lounged in the chair that he had designated as his. Ewan tried to sit as far from him as he could and still remain at the table where he could eat comfortably if he so chose to do so.
The droid served silently and then faded into the woodwork.
Ewan poked at his food, it was better than the mush but he could never completely drown out the fact that he was expecting Dooku to poison him again.
“I was thinking we might take off that horrible collar when we’ve finished eating,” Dooku said idly, in a ‘just making conversation’ voice.
Ewan’s head snapped up, because was he serious?!
“Are you serious?” he asked suspiciously.
“It pains me to see another Force user being blocked from using it by such primitive means.”
“Then why did you leave it on for three days?”
“I had to make sure that you were going to behave yourself didn’t I. You’ve not tried to escape; I believe that is cause for a reward of some sort.”
“So you’re going to remove the collar?” Ewan asked in disbelief. Because could it really be this easy?
“Well really, what sort of threat are you while confined to these quarters,” Dooku smiled thinly and Ewan shivered. The smile said that Dooku had thought of all avenues and was only removing the collar because he’d removed any and all ways that may have presented themselves to Ewan to escape his clutches.
“You don’t even have your lightsaber,” Dooku laid his fork on the edge of his plate and picked up his wine glass. “Besides…” he raised the glass in a mock toast to Ewan. “You are family after all.”
So much for Dooku not digging around in his head.
“But you’re still going to kill me.”
“It will hurt me to do so,” Dooku touched his chest, a mocking look of sadness on his face. “But it truly is the only way to obtain my goals.”
“If you kill me, Anakin and Qui-Gon will kill you in return and then where will you be?”
“Well if I kill you yes, but I won’t be killing you. Pulling the strings yes, watching yes, but to be the one to actually do the deed. No,” Dooku sounded almost disappointed at the thought that he wasn’t going to be the one to end his life and Ewan lost what little appetite he’d had when the food had been put down and pushed his plate away.
“Done eating?” Dooku nodded at the droid and it came forward to begin removing the remains of their meal. “Let’s take that troublesome collar off you, shall we?”
“Why don’t you just leave it on? I mean what’s the point if you’re just going to kill me anyway,” Ewan muttered bitterly.
“Well how do you think young Skywalker and Qui-Gon Jinn are going to find you?” Dooku touched the back of his neck, fingers pressing on the collar and his skin and Ewan fought every urge to skitter away.
Having Dooku touch him was worse than having Padmé touch him.
He wouldn’t have thought it possible.
He felt the Force flooding through him before the collar even fell totally away. He was relieved he was sitting because the feelings and emotions that raced through him would have driven him to his knees otherwise.
Almost without thinking he found and pulled that thin link that led him to Anakin.
Fear and pain and anger flooding him in response.
Anakin was scared and then suddenly pleased as he realized that it was Ewan’s presence he was feeling through the Force.
He tried to send a warning, tried to tell Anakin to not come for him (and not just because he didn’t want to die, though that was a big reason) but Dooku clamped a hand down on his shoulder and suddenly he couldn’t sense Anakin any longer.
“Now, now Obi-Wan. Don’t make me decide that I’ve made the wrong decision and place the collar back on you. Neither one of us will enjoy that.”
He was pacing again. Anakin was getting tired of pacing; he would rather be doing something productive that would lead to the recovery of Obi-Wan so he could stop having to be polite to Qui-Gon Jinn.
Although maybe that was a moot point as it seemed that Mace Windu had already decided to cease being polite to the former Jedi Master.
They were now arguing about a ship that was in range of where they supposed Obi-Wan’s shuttle to be and whether or not they should be trying to contact it to help in the recovery of Obi-Wan.
Anakin thought not, as did Mace Windu (which bothered him a little but not as much as having to agree with Qui-Gon would have), Qui-Gon on the other hand thought that anything that got Obi-Wan back quicker was worth taking the risk.
Anakin thought Qui-Gon was a fool and on top of that a fool that had possibly lost touch with the Force.
Because that ship, the one that Qui-Gon was pointing at and trying to make convincing arguments to contact, felt wrong.
And not just wrong in a way that meant Separatists or bounty hunters or smugglers. But wrong in a way that signaled to Anakin that they didn’t want that ship being anywhere near Obi-Wan because they might not see him again. And if they did he would not be in one piece.
He had made a half a mind up to just go gag Qui-Gon, then tell Mace to do whatever he deemed necessary but to do something now because he was tired of waiting and if forced to do so for much longer he would take things into his own hands, when he felt the surge.
His knees buckled and he went down, hard. At the console Mace Windu and Qui-Gon Jinn were no better off.
Both clutching the edge of it like it was the only thing keeping them from joining Anakin on the floor.
And then he felt it. The briefest touch of Obi-Wan’s mind against his and it was like a breath of fresh air, like drinking a glass of cool, clean water after living on a ship for months at a time.
Anakin suddenly felt hope like he hadn’t felt in years. Because Obi-Wan was back, his Master was free of that damnable collar and was once again a strong, familiar presence within the Force and his mind.
Then he felt the fear, felt Obi-Wan pushing at him to stay away and there was no way in seven hells that he was going to do that… and then Obi-Wan was gone.
Thought not totally, just dimmed like someone had suddenly thrown a dimmer switch and turned his Force presence down.
He looked up to meet Mace Windu’s eyes; it did not make him feel any better to see the Jedi Master looked just as confused as he felt.
But Qui-Gon Jinn looked horrified. Scared. And for just a moment, a brief second Anakin himself felt that terror, before he locked it away and pushed himself back to his feet.
“What do you know?” he asked it steadily, and Qui-Gon just stared at him in incomprehension. Like he’d never seen Anakin before, then his face cleared and went blank, unreadable.
“That was the wrong ship to ask for assistance,” he conceded, speaking to Mace but staring at Anakin. Mace narrowed his eyes, much in the same manner that Anakin himself currently was.
“What do you know?” Anakin repeated himself. Because Qui-Gon knew something. Knew who that ship belonged to and just what was happening to Obi-Wan as they were speaking.
Qui-Gon remained silent just staring and it was beginning to irritate him, another second and he was pulling his lightsaber and wielding it to get the answers he wanted. Mace Windu and the Dark Side of the Force be damned.
“Answer the boy Qui-Gon Jinn,” Mace straightened his posture and Anakin had never seen him so foreboding. Not even when he was lecturing Anakin on some folly or lecturing Obi-Wan for allowing it.
Qui-Gon closed his eyes and Anakin shivered slightly, even though there was no noticeable breeze.
Obi-Wan was frightened.
And suddenly he didn’t want Qui-Gon to respond at all, wanted him to remain silent and not speak the words that he knew were coming.
“Count Dooku has him.”