It was an average day on Coruscant at the jedi temple. Now that the Clone wars was over, there was more hustle and bustle in the temple as the old routines had fallen back into place. Jedi and padawans scurried between training classes, study sessions in the archives, council meetings where all council members were actually present for a change, and many other tasks.

One jedi master, dressed in pale jedi tunic and pants with a brown robe, was walking alone, deep in thought about how best to approach the sensitive negotiations with the new Rodian government that was next on his agenda. He was on the wrong side of forty, although no-one who didn't know him would have guessed that due to the energy in his stride and his clearly well-trained body.

"Obi-wan!"

The jedi master halted, as if hit by an immobiliser. He recognised the voice behind him instantly, although it had been some time since he had heard it. He turned, his straight golden-brown hair shining in the sunlight, his face tightening imperceptibly as a taller, younger man dressed in dark clothes cautiously emerged out of the shadows to approach him.

"Um… I've been waiting for you to walk by" said the younger man bashfully, who was strikingly attractive yet evidently apprehensive about initiating this conversation. "Well… here I am" replied Obi-wan slightly awkwardly. "What do you want, Anakin?" He could sense in the force that other jedi passing them were curious – Obi-wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, the former A-team, hadn't been seen together for years. Obi-wan drew his thoughts away from their surrounds and observers, and concentrated on what the man who had once been his closest friend had to say.

Anakin spoke nervously. "Ahh, this might come a bit out of the blue, but I've found out that we both are on leave for the same week next month… and I was wondering whether you would… whether you would come with me and the kids to Alderaan for a week's holiday?"

Obi-wan's face revealed his utter astonishment, his mind racing and catapulting him back into his memories, painful memories that he had buried deep inside, keeping his schedule as busy as possible to avoid any brief moment of free time when his mind might wander into that hazardous country.

He remembered vividly being in the council meeting room three years ago, enduring a tedious discussion on the logistics of maintaining plumbing services for a field base for peace-time clone reserves. Uninvited, Anakin had burst in and told the council he urgently had to speak to them. Obi-wan had been alarmed when Anakin's normally cocky demeanour had then crumbled and the young knight had put his face in his hands, sagging against the door frame. Yoda had indicated to Obi-wan to take his former padawan into the antechamber – they could tell the rest of the council later what all this was about, right now Anakin obviously needed support.

His initial alarm had however been supplanted by pure shock followed rapidly by a deep stabbing betrayal and hurt that had never left him since, when Anakin revealed that he, Anakin Skywalker, jedi knight, respected clone wars general and public poster boy of the jedi order, was also secretly the father of senator Amidala's twins that had been born two years previously. He confessed tearfully that he was revealing this now because Padme had very recently upped and left him and the kids for good, and since he was now a single father he could no longer keep the secret - he had to look after his children and could no longer keep doing his jedi duties.

Obi-wan had slumped down into a chair, reeling from the news and unable to even look at Anakin, eventually making his way back to his quarters where he simply lay on his bed for a full day, staring numbly at the ceiling. Yoda had returned to the council to discuss what to do, the outcome being that Anakin would officially remain a 'jedi' but would be given domestic duties around the temple, such as cleaning and maintenance work that he could fit around childcare. Losing the respect of his fellow jedi, his status as a war hero, and the thrills of active service was considered punishment enough for Anakin, thoroughly humiliating the proud young man. As Obi-wan continued to go on missions with his newly-assigned partner Kit, he had seen Anakin increasingly infrequently. When he did see him his heart wept to see him looking so sad and forlorn, other jedi whispering about the prophesied Chosen One's fall from grace behind his back as he hurried through the temple with his head down, toddlers in tow. But Obi-wan couldn't deny that there was a part of him felt some righteousness that the man who had torn out his heart and shredded it to pieces it was suffering for his actions.

"Obi-wan?"

The jedi master snapped back to the present, but his internal chaos led his usually eloquent self to be lost for words. The best he could do was mumble "uhh well… aah, umm". Downcast, Anakin pleaded for his former master to say yes. "I know you probably can't stand the sight of me, but I was hoping that maybe you would consider coming for the twins' sake? You see, I may have been telling them stories from… before… and they think of you as their hero. I struggle to give them anything special in their lives, and being with you on holiday would be a real treat. Please?"

Obi-wan did indeed have a soft spot for Anakin's little 5 year-olds Luke and Leia. When he was on temple duty he often spent time in the creche with the younglings, and couldn't help but give the twins that little bit of extra attention due to the bond he had once had with their father. The twins felt his affection and returned it in spades.

That master Kenobi was still hopelessly in love with his staggeringly handsome former padawan did not simplify the decision. One part of him was giddy that this gorgeous man had burst back into his life and wanted to spend time with him, and clamoured to say yes. The rational part of him that was very good at controlling his elemental urges reminded him that he had been knifed through the heart by this same gorgeous man already, and warned him that saying yes would quite possibly just lead to more pain. The part of him that was the consummate jedi couldn't believe that he would even consider it, given the number of rules in the jedi code that Anakin had broken, and the shame that he had brought on himself and the order through his actions.

As is so often the case, love (with the excuse that it was for the twins' sake) won out.

"Ok Anakin, I'll come with you to spend some time with the twins. Send me the details of where and when our shuttle will depart from and what supplies I need to bring, and I'll see you there".

The younger jedi nodded and slipped away to continue the sweeping that he was meant to be doing at the moment. His heart was somersaulting in his chest, not quite believing what had just happened. It had taken all of his renowned courage to approach his former master – former best friend – and he had expected to be rejected outright. He allowed himself a small smile. For the first time in three years, he had something good to look forward to.

The date of their leave-taking finally arrived, and the two jedi and two lively younglings set off to Alderaan. It was a short trip, once he had set the starship's course in hyperspace Anakin spent most of it occupied with keeping the kids happy. They had not yet experienced enough space travel to be able to ignore the discomfort that came with it. He was hyper-aware of Obi-wan's presence in the ship, but luckily the twins kept him busy enough that he couldn't dwell on his anxiety, or on what he was going to say to his old friend when the kids had gone to bed and they were alone. The two years since Padme had left had been downright hell. Come to think of it, every year since he'd found out she was pregnant had been downright hell, but at least while she was still mothering the kids he could live in denial and pretend nothing had changed, that he was still a top jedi knight, that he and his former master were still the ultimate team and best friends. He could still pretend that he and Obi-wan would be together forever. That had all come crashing down when Padme had one day decided that she was fed up with sacrificing her glittering career for the brats of a guy who had only been a toy boy to her and had regretfully ended up knocking her up. The same day she had packed her things and left to be with her new lover, someone far higher up the food chain than a mere jedi knight. Forcing himself back to the present, Anakin pushed his memories aside and reached for a storybook called Giggling Gungans: Leia's favourite. He sighed, and began to read the rhyming text for the umpteenth time.

In another corner of the starship the older jedi wrapped his robes around him and pretended to read a book, while mulling over how he was going to cope over the next week. How was he going to cope watching the man who he had dreamed of sharing the rest of his life with playing with the children that he had already produced with someone else? How was he going to act around Anakin when the kids had gone to bed and they were alone? He couldn't help himself, he still felt little bursts of delight inside when Anakin's bright blue eyes looked at him, when his perfect lips spoke to him – although he hadn't seen those lips smile for a while… He resolved to just try to relax and take each day as it came. If he could face down whole armies of droids trying to kill him, surely he could face seven days with the person that had once been his closest friend?

As the ship moved onwards through the blackness of space towards Alderaan, the two jedi remained mired in their thoughts.