Love and Family

Okay, here's the first chapter of my rewrite for "Before and After"; I figured I could use some reviews to get me moving on the second chapter. It's made up of the first few chapters of the original- but I've changed the Obi-Wan part drastically and added another section.

Section 1: Lux and Ahsoka

"Hey, boy," Rex called across the hangar. "Stop hiding behind that speeder."

The black-haired, green-eyed human rose in a dignified manner, assuming an expression Rex had always seen on politicians. "Captain... uh... hey, Rex, right?"

He nodded, realizing exactly who the boy was and why he was hiding behind a speeder. The reason was the orange-skinned Togruta Jedi a few meters away, fixing something on the bottom of her starfighter. R2-D2, General Skywalker's little blue astromech, handed her a tool. One of the troopers grouped around the fighter cracked a joke, and everyone laughed.

"Come on, Senator Bonteri," Rex said. "Let's go talk to Commander Tano."

"Umm... okay."

They strolled over to the group surrounding the starfighter. Only Ahsoka's legs stuck out from beneath it.

"Hello, Captain Rex, sir," Waxer said, saluting him, the other troopers following his lead.

"Hello, brothers. Meet Senator Bonteri of Onderon."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Senator," Boil said, nodding his head respectfully. Not surprisingly, the other clones did the same a few seconds after, murmuring their own salutations.

The tinkering from under the starfighter had stopped a good twenty seconds ago. "Senator who?" Ahsoka practically yelled.

"Senator Bonteri, sir," Jesse answered.

Rex thought he heard an exasperated groan before the Commander got out from under the starfighter. She stood up and nodded briefly to Senator Bonteri before grabbing the boy by his arm and dragging him aside.

The clones watched this with confused expressions, Rex with amusement, before getting back to telling jokes. Their banter covered the talk Ahsoka was having with Lux. Yet, Rex was sure he heard, very clearly, "If you keep this up, everyone will figure out that we screw each other at night!"

Section 2: Anakin and Padme

From a viewing gallery above the Senate, Anakin Skywalker smiled down at the most beautiful woman in the world. Padme Amidala, Senator and former queen of Naboo, smiled back at him. Meanwhile, Anakin's Padawan, the closest thing he would ever have to a daughter, was bestowing her gaze on another Senator.

And Lux Bonteri gazed back.

Anakin frowned as his attention shifted to his apprentice, lost in her love. Snips, you shouldn't be in love, he thought to himself. Though I'm being a hypocrite when I think that. He mentally shrugged ruefully and turned back to his beautiful wife.

OooOooO

Padme caught the wistful expression on Anakin's face. Soon it turned to what he looked like when he wanted to scold his Padawan, followed by thoughtfulness.

Then she frowned, noticing the way Senator Bonteri was looking at Ahsoka. Padme thought of Lux as her son, and Ahsoka as her daughter, so...

That line of thinking only led to awkward thoughts.

Lux shouldn't be in love, she thought. He'll forget his duties.

And then Padme sighed internally. I am such a hypocrite.

Section 3: Barriss and Cody

Cody fiddled with Barriss' hair. Sitting on the floor, the Mirialan leaned back into his leg, smiling. A companionable, loving silence settled between them.

"I don't think we're the only ones doing this," Barriss said suddenly.

Cody was caught off guard by her statement. "Doing what?" he asked stupidly.

"This," she answered softly, the smile gone.

Cody was silent. That was a dangerous accusation, and Barriss knew it.

"Then who do you think is like us?"

He could tell she had started smiling again. "Oh, Cody, no one else is like us. We're all unique. But there's Ahsoka, with I don't know whom, and her Master, Anakin Skywalker, with one of the Senators. And then there's..." She continued on and on until Cody's jaw was on the floor.

"Love, isn't that the whole Jedi Order?"

Barriss laughed. "There are some exceptions. Like my Master and the more prominent Masters on the Council."

"That's a lot of Jedi who aren't following the rules."

"I agree, Cody. But we all decided to follow our hearts, and sometimes that means not following the rules."

Section 4: Aayla and Kit

Aayla smiled. The love of her life might be a Jedi Master, but he was absolutely terrible at explaining to younglings why attachments could lead to the dark side. Kit stumbled over his words, pausing several times to glance at where she stood.

Well, that was what he deserved for pushing her into a fountain (and not coincidentally, in the Room of a Thousand Fountains) five minutes before an important strategy meeting. So she'd stood through the two-hour-long meeting, dripping wet and so damn cold.

In revenge, Aayla had ever so nicely persuaded Master Stass Allie to take some time off today, saying that Kit would spare her the awkward lecture Stass had been planning to give the younglings on how attachments may lead to the dark side. The Tholothian Master had been much more persuasive after that.

OooOooO

That night, as they lay together in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, Kit said, "Aayla, don't ever make me do that again."

She smiled to herself. "Okay, Kit." And promptly pushed him into the pool.

Section 5: Obi-Wan and his Daughter

Obi-Wan watched over her. She knew him as "Master Kenobi", but he knew her as his daughter.

He remembered Satine trying to hide her pregnancy from him. He remembered holding the little girl in his arms, smiling down at her.

They named her Tallisibeth. In his mind, Obi-Wan called her Tally. In real life, he called her Padawan Esterhazy (honestly, he had no idea why Satine would give their daughter such an impossibly long last name- Tallisibeth Enwandung Esterhazy? What was she thinking? Then again, maybe it was for the best. It was definitely etter than naming her Tallisibeth Kryze-Kenobi).

Tally knew him, but at the same time, didn't know him. It was blessing- she would never know about his betrayal of the Jedi Code- or it was a curse- she would never know her true parents.

Blessing, or curse? He could never choose.

Section 6: Her Daughter, His Sister

Whenever Shaak looks at her little girl, she knows she made the right choice. She watches the little girl get in trouble, fall in love, make friends, fight, and do so many other things, and Shaak wonders how she could have ever considered saying yes to Stass' suggestion.

She asks the healer the same question, and Stass only shrugs and smiles. They know she made the right choice.

Because if she had chosen abortion, the Temple would be practically silent without her little 'Soka.

OooOooO

When Codi sneaks into the Temple at night, he visits Yoda first. They meditate, then talk- the wizened Jedi Master usually slams his gimer stick on Codi's calves while he shoos him out of the room.

Then he visits his mother. She hugs him- their head-tails will touch for a few moments. Then they talk about their lives. His mother talks about the war and her part in it. He tells her about surviving in the Underworld, day after day. Oftentimes, the discussion turns to his sister- her daughter.

Every other night, he creeps into the Initiate quarters and says hello to Allara. She grins, he smiles back. They'll hold a quiet, whispered conversation on potential Masters for her, and then he'll slip out, right after she falls asleep again.

Sometimes, occasionally, Codi will even try to visit his sister's quarters. He moves silently in the halls, hood up, and then pushes in the code to her door- his mother gave it to him. He'll slip in quietly and watch her sleep. Her Master is never around- he has no problems moving in and out.

Codi wonders if there will ever come a time when he can visit his mother and his little sister 'Soka without having to sneak in.

Okay! That's the end. BTW, Tallisibeth Enwandung-Esterhazy and Codi Ty are canonical. Tally's called Scout, because who wants to say her really long name? And I also really don't ship Obitine, I'm a Sabewan kind of girl. Read and review please! :)