When You Come Home

-45-

"Momma?" Anakin peeped around the door. He clutched Threepio in his hands, squeezing the plush doll. He wasn't really supposed to be out of his room, but he had heard noises, and he wanted to make sure everything was okay. Momma had said that Tatooine was better enjoyed at daytime than at nighttime. He didn't know what it meant, but he knew that it made her sad. He didn't like it when she was sad.

So, he needed to make sure that she was okay. So, here he was, peeking around the door. He didn't understand what he saw.

A tall, angry man was standing in the lounge with his back to Anakin. His hand was raised. Momma was in front of him, a nasty red mark on her determined face. She wasn't angry, but Anakin knew that she wasn't happy. Her fists were clenched.

"I won't," she was telling the angry man. "I've told you before. I won't change my mind. He is my son."

The man balled his raised hand into a fist. "I don't care. I —" He stopped suddenly, looking towards the door.

Anakin hid before the man saw him, hurrying back to his room. He heard the man's words to his mother as he closed the door to his room, chasing him into bed.

"Don't fight me. Don't resist."

"Don't resist."

"Don't resist." Maul's voice was chilling yet authoritative.

Anakin obeyed.

Maul straightened up, pulling Anakin to his feet as well. His boots clunked against the metal warehouse roof. The clouds returned, covering the moon and plunging them once more into darkness. Any street lights were too far away to provide much help. The only light was in Maul's eyes, a yellow fire that burned with glee and with vengeance. Anakin looked away.

"Now that we've settled our differences," Maul started, a cool pleasure replacing the threat in his tone, "let us get to business." He opened his mouth to continue, but stopped when a shape beside them moved. Maul groaned. "Stay down, Jinn!"

Obi-Wan stood carefully, hugging his left shoulder, his jaw set in determination. "I won't. I'll keep getting up as many times as I have to. Stay away from my little brother."

Anakin had never known how much he needed to hear Obi-Wan say that. But now was not the time for sentiment or for emotion. He had to stay strong.

"Please go," Anakin whispered, looking desperately at his brother. He didn't know what Maul would do to him if they fought again. Obi-Wan certainly wouldn't win.

"Yes, listen to your brother," Maul put undue emphasis on the title, "and leave. I might just let you live."

"If I leave, you have to leave as well," Obi-Wan said warily.

"'Until the time is right,'" Maul seemed to be quoting back to him. "That time would be now."

Obi-Wan's face twisted in the closest thing to a scowl Anakin had ever seen. He readied his stance and clenched his fists. He grit his teeth against the pain and faced Maul down. He was going to fight. "You lie."

Maul snarled. "You don't know when to give up." He lunged for Obi-Wan.

But he never made it.

Some shadow birthed from its hiding place, striking out like a snake attacking its prey. It struck Maul from the side, knocking him off course and tackling him to the rooftop. It wrestled and fought, wielding the element of surprise along with a toolbelt of perfected techniques to overpower its target. It didn't take long for the shadow to perform a well-timed blow to Maul's head. He didn't get up. But the shadow did.