Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Chapter 12

Obi-Wan took a deep, cleansing breath. He could feel anger and disgust and pity and compassion all stirring up within him at once; it was uncomfortable and slightly overwhelming, and without Jedi training he was certain he would have reacted very badly. As it was, he merely took a few moments to calm himself, all the while staring sorrowfully at the door from which the poor girl had fled.

He couldn't believe it. All this time he had suspected, just a little bit, that something was deeply wrong with Ahsoka. Yet he had never taken the time to look into it more closely. There was a war on and, as a member of the Jedi Council, his time was so often occupied elsewhere. Plus, he knew that he had simply waved off any discomfort he could sense resonating from the girl as being a symptom of her recovery. The young Jedi had suffered through a terrible thing and was naturally still recovering from it; Obi-Wan had thought that perhaps she was simply uneasy around people. She had seemed alright with Anakin, and so Obi-Wan had let his suspicious thoughts go; so long as she was comfortable with her master, surely everything would work itself out in time.

Now, though, Obi-Wan had to wonder … did her ease around Anakin indicate that she was simply comfortable around him, or did he know about her secret?

It was a very troubling thing, a young padawan in this situation. It was entirely forbidden, and under the usual circumstances – it wasn't like a young Jedi had never reluctantly announced a pregnancy to the Council, after all - Obi-Wan would have merely been disappointed. But these circumstances were not normal. Ahsoka had been raped; this was not a lapse in her own judgement. He did wonder, though, why she had kept such a terrible secret to herself.

Obi-Wan knew he had to question the girl, discuss the matter with his own former padawan, and present this information to the Council. However, he elected to give Ahsoka a few minutes to gather her thoughts before he did any such thing. She would need them; she had seemed so scared when she ran off.

Also, it meant a little longer resting in bed. After his ordeal, the Jedi Master was content to take advantage of that much while he could. He was injured, after all.

/

The padawan raced through the ship's halls, passing confused Clones and not sparing a thought for any of them. She didn't stop until she reached Anakin, who was on the bridge and seemed to be somewhat lost in his own thoughts. It took a second for him to notice her presence at his side, but once he did, he immediately looked concerned.

"Ahsoka, what is it? What's wrong?"

Ahsoka just shook her head, gasping slightly. She knew that she was uncomfortably close to having a panic attack and was using meditative techniques to calm herself down.

Anakin seemed to notice this and placed both hands on his padawan's shoulders, gently applying pressure and getting her to sink down to her knees. There she seemed slightly more able to take deep breaths. Anakin gestured to the few Clones who were standing near enough to hear them, and they all departed, leaving him alone with his padawan. He didn't remove his hands until she was breathing more normally, and then he only moved one hand to rest on his own knee as he was knelt in from of his student. He remained silent until he felt Ahsoka calm a bit through their bond in the Force.

"Alright, that's better. Now. What happened?"

Ahsoka looked at him with wide, panicked eyes. "He knows, Master. Obi-Wan knows about …"

Anakin's eyes widened, too, and his hand slipped from her shoulder in surprise. He was not ready for this, not ready to look his old Master in the eye and tell him that his padawan was carrying a baby. He had half a mind to run away, claiming he needed to think. But one look at his padawan's scared expression made him stay; he couldn't run, not when Ahsoka needed him.

"How did he find out?"

"He just … he saw it in me with the Force."

Anakin cursed, anger coursing through him. Damn Obi-Wan and his concern and his good intentions and his own bond with Anakin's padawan that meant he would care enough to look into her deep enough to find out her secret.

"Master, he's on the Council. He's going to tell them when we get back to the Temple. They're going to find out!"

"I know, I'm thinking!"

"You've been thinking for weeks!"

"Cool it, Snips." Anakin scrubbed a hand over his face and then stood up, reaching one hand down to pull his padawan up. "Let me talk to Obi-Wan."

"Master, I …" Ahsoka took a breath and looked him in the eye. "I don't want to get you into trouble. Tell Master Obi-Wan that you didn't know. Then he can only tell the Council that I kept it to myself and ..."

"Ahsoka, no. No. Even if I wanted to, Obi-Wan's going to know that I knew about this, and the Council would never believe that I didn't." He tried for a smile, half succeeding. "Besides, I told you that we're in this together now, and I meant it. I'll think of something."

Ahsoka hated these hormones; she could feel her eyes tearing up at his words. It was incredibly comforting and reassuring to know that Anakin was on her side and would risk himself for her. Of course she would do the same for him, but still, it meant everything to her. She sniffed slightly, determined not the cry now, and nodded.

"Then what do we do?"

"We do nothing. You go back to your quarters and get some rest. You look exhausted, and it's not going to be pretty when we get back to the Temple. Clear your mind completely. If the Council wants you to explain why you didn't tell them earlier, you need to be calm and focused."

"And what will you be doing?" Even if it was for her own benefit, Ahsoka had never liked being out of the loop on anything.

"What do you think?"

Anakin flashed her one of his signature cocky smirks and nodded before turning and leaving. Ahsoka didn't bother to follow him, knowing that he meant he was going to talk to Obi-Wan. She considered – for the briefest of moments – going after him anyway so she could explain everything to the senior Jedi herself, but she didn't move. Anakin had given her orders, and she intended to follow them for once. Anakin was right about her needing to be focused and calm if she was going to have to speak with the Council once they reached the Jedi Temple, and she needed to mediate and rest before they did if that was going to be a possibility.

So she merely walked calmly to her quarters, ignoring the couple of odd looks she got from the Clone troops she passed. They certainly didn't need to know what was going on here.

/

Anakin walked halfway to the medical bay before he stopped, withdrawing into an empty storage room to gather his thoughts. He had no idea what to say in his own defence or Ahsoka's. They both knew she was pregnant, they both knew they ought to have told the Council weeks ago, and they both knew that there was no point in feigning ignorance.

They didn't really have a defence.

Nevertheless, Anakin knew that he was going to have to come up with something. He couldn't afford to have the ship land before he had talked things through with Obi-Wan, no matter how much he might like to postpone this. Even if Obi-Wan fully intended to keep his discovery to himself for the time being, this conversation had to happen, and it was safest had in a private medical bay on his own ship; it was less likely to be overheard here.

There really was no point in delaying this, he realised. He was no more likely to have a speech prepared the next day than he was right now, and so he existed the storage room and made his way to the medical bay.

/

Obi-Wan was drifting somewhere between sleep and consciousness when he heard the soft but insistent knock on the door. The person on the other side didn't wait for a reply, and he wasn't surprised in the slightest to see his former padawan walk into the room.

"How're you doing, Master?"

"I've had something to eat and my injuries will heal now, so physically I'm fine." He face turned sombre. "But I somehow doubt that that's what you meant."

Anakin sighed, moving to stand close by the bed, though he remained standing instead of sitting by his friend like he usually would have.

"Ahsoka said you found out about … her condition."

"Yes, I believe I did. I take it I am to assume that you knew about this?"

"I've known for a few weeks. She didn't tell me at first, but I've known for a while."

Obi-Wan nodded once. "And the father of the child?"

"Who do you think?" Anakin grimaced, his flesh hand clenching into a fist. "That Sith scum."

"I thought so. It's a terrible thing, to have been inflicted on one so young. But Anakin, you do realise that you cannot keep this pregnancy a secret from the Council forever?"

"I know, Master." Anakin looked Obi-Wan in the eye, determined not to seem ashamed of his decisions here, not in front of his old Master who was even now watching him make decisions with his own student. "And I know that she should have already informed the Council, but ..."

"But?"

"She's afraid of what they'll say to her." There was no point in lying, Anakin supposed. "She doesn't want to get rid of the baby."

"Anakin, a Jedi cannot have a..."

"I know that, Obi-Wan. Ahsoka knows that. But we're not talking about her being reckless and running off with some guy she just met and being careless. She was raped. By a Sith!"

"I'm well aware of how this happened, Anakin" Obi-Wan said gently, keeping his natural calm demeanour. "Still, it's against the Jedi code."

"And what does the code say about padawans that get knocked up like this, Master?!"

"Anakin..."

"None of this is her fault, Master. None of it." Anakin took a deep breath; he was getting angry, and that was not a good thing. He waited a moment, calming himself as best he could, before he went on. "When I first found out, I had all the same questions you do. I was going to tell the Council myself, whether she liked it or not, but ..."

"But she convinced you otherwise?"

"Not exactly. She did, but that's not what she was meaning to do. She just wanted me to understand why she was keeping it a secret from everybody, even me." Anakin sighed, finally sitting down on the bed facing Obi-Wan. "She told me that the Jedi code forbids taking the life of an innocent, and she's right, it does forbid it. And then she told me that the baby is innocent."

Obi-Wan frowned and looked down. Suddenly he could understand why Anakin had been drawn into keeping this secret, why he had failed to report this to the Council. This was an exceedingly complex situation.

"She was afraid that if she went to the Council, they would make her get rid of the baby" Anakin continued. "She knows that the father was a Sith and that the Council's wary of anything even remotely close to the Sith these days. I know she's breaking the rules, Master, but she's doing it to stick to the Jedi code. She's protecting an innocent life."

"Anakin..."

"Besides, she's four months gone now, it's too late for her to just get rid of it. By now the heartbeat's developed." He knew this to be true, because he had looked up files on Togruta pregnancy as soon as he had learned of Ahsoka's pregnancy. By now he considered himself fairly knowledgable. "It's an actual, viable baby growing inside her, and she's decided to protect it."

Obi-Wan sighed. "And when the child is born?"

Anakin stopped, looking away. He really didn't know. He had no idea what Ahsoka's plan was for when she had the baby. He had never imagined it because it seemed so far off. Worrying about the plans for what would happen with the baby could come after he was done worrying about the pregnancy itself, not to mention the inevitable birth.

"Anakin?"

"I don't know. I don't think she knows."

"If you two don't have a long-term plan, Anakin, then how can you ask me not the tell the Council?"

Anakin looked up, surprise laced into his features. "I didn't ask you not to."

"True, but you're going to, aren't you?"

"No."

"No?"

"You're going to tell them, Obi-Wan. I know you. You'll do your duty and report to the Council. There's no point in asking you not to."

Obi-Wan sighed, reaching out and putting one hand on his former padawan's forearm. "I should tell them the second we get back, Anakin. This is a very serious situation, and not just for your padawan. I understand that Ahsoka is concerned about the baby and I admire her dedication to protecting an innocent life, but she has been putting both herself and the child in great danger by continuing to accompany you on missions."

"We're taking precautions" Anakin defended them. "She's not right in the line of fire so much now. And we're adapting her fighting style to hold her lightsabre further away."

"A good start, Anakin, but not enough. If Ahsoka truly wants to see this pregnancy carried to term, she cannot continue to fight alongside you."

Anakin glared at his friend. "She's not being removed from being my padawan. After the baby is born, she'll be back to her training as normal. She told me that much."

"She intends to remain a Jedi, then?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't she?"

"I've seen it before, Anakin. A female Jedi finds herself pregnant, commits herself to giving the child up after the birth and then returning to her duties. This is what Ahsoka intends, you think?"

Anakin shrugged. He had no idea; did she really intend to give the baby up? But if she didn't, then how could she possibly be a Jedi?

Obi-Wan continued effortlessly. "It's a noble intention, but few follow through. I've known two good Jedi myself who made that promise to the Council and then chose to leave the Order when the child was born. One was a good friend of mine when I had just been knighted."

"So, why...?"

"They can't bring themselves to let go of their baby once it's born. It's a strange connection, Anakin, the bond between mother and child. It's not something we can fully understand. My friend, Kali, she was adamant that she was going to give the child up all through her pregnancy, but then she gave birth and she couldn't go through with it. She had to leave the Order."

Anakin didn't answer. He wasn't here to debate the ethics of pregnancy in the Jedi Order. He was only interested in one.

"Anakin, I won't tell the Council about Ahsoka's condition."

Anakin was stunned and he knew that it probably showed on his face. "Why?"

"Because this decision is Ahsoka's to make, and hers alone. It should not be influenced by the Council. I'm sure she already understands the choices before her. If she isn't ready to face the Council today, then she should take some more time to weigh all her options before she tells them. Though I must warn you, Anakin: the longer she waits, the worse the Council will take the news."

"I know. Obi-Wan, I..."

"Oh, and she has to tell them by the time she is six months to term." Obi-Wan fixed Anakin with a hard stare. "I'll give her until then to make her choice, but she cannot wait forever. Between us I'm sure we can keep her secret just that, but when she reaches the six month point, she has to tell the Council. Or I will."

Anakin just nodded, lost for words and not very used to that.

He knew what Obi-Wan was not saying, heard it just as clearly as his spoken words – he was conflicted, he didn't like this situation, and he was only doing it because he cared very much for both Anakin and Ahsoka, and because this situation was not Ahsoka's fault. Had she been careless with a consensual lover, Obi-Wan would not have protected her; it would have been a problem of her own making. But it wasn't, and so he would.

Anakin was unsure of how to react so he merely nodded and reached out with one hand to rest it on Obi-Wan's shoulder in gratitude. When he was younger, he would have hugged him, but hugs were rarely shared these days. Their bond was different – more equal and less physically affectionate – now that he was a Knight himself. Still, he was close with Obi-Wan, and so he let his hand linger there for a few moments longer than necessary before standing, telling his old master to get some rest, and departing.

He had some good news to share with Ahsoka, and a time constraint that he was determined they could work with.

Please R&R