AN: So finally, finally, finally the third chapter. On my birthday, even. As I've been promising. It's 14 pages long, so not the absolute longest piece I've put out, but getting up there. I try for around ten.

To my faithful readers: Sentrosi, sonha, lgfrommk2931, Teresa, TriGemini, killing u with umbrellas, Charlie Hayden, sweetchica55, ElusiveMaverick, Sidious Sith, bolt 32, and starwarssomeone.

And a special thank you to Charlie Hayden who pointed out that I'd missed some stuff while doing my final edit and correct.

You guys have kept me going, even when it got rough. I should be able to keep up better this summer, and hopefully, I can bring this story to a satisfying conclusion. READ ON...


Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Skywalker Central, 39:6:23

Jasmine was waiting when Jaedrea got home. Jae had become increasingly obsessed with regaining Julia's trust, but confronting her sister about it was about the worst thing Jae could be doing. Not that that's anything unusual.

"Hi, Jaz," Jae said as she came in to their parents quarters, trying to act casual.

Jasmine arched an eyebrow at Jaedrea. "Hi, Jae," she said, crossing her arms over her chest, making the scar Jae'd given her clearly visible. "Jul's not here."

Jae turned scarlet, but said nothing.

"You can't push her on this, Jae. She's not ready to accept and deal with what happened."

Jae bit her lip, showing her nervousness in a way that she never before had. "I just want my sister back. How can you stand there and say I can't have that?"

Jasmine looked down for a moment, searching for the right words to convince her sister that she did know what she was talking about. "I want the two of you on speaking terms as much as anyone, but if you push her right now, the only thing you are going to do is push her further away, and disrupt what little progress I've made by talking to her."

It seemed that Jae actually listened to what she said, rather than just glossing over it or just hearing what she wanted to hear. "You're trying to help?"

She made a derisive noise. "I'm trying. Julia doesn't want my help, though. You know how stubborn she can get."

Jae looked down, "I know. But what can I do about it?"

"Nothing. That's the best thing you can do for Julia right now."

Jae was stunned into silence for long enough for Jasmine to decide to change the subject. "What happened, Jae? Why do we even have to be having this conversation?"

Jae looked almost frightened by the question. "I don't know, you know that. I don't remember," she said slowly.

Jasmine looked sympathetically at her sister. "Oh, Jae," she said as she tried to think of something to say, then she hit on a memory. "Master Luke says it's ok to be scared."

Surprise colored Jae's features, and she asked, "He does?"

"He says it's ok as long as you don't let the fear take over," she said, gently putting her arm around Jae's shoulders.

Jae didn't answer for a long time. "How do I do that?" she asked finally, sounding very small.

"You fight it, Jae. You stand up to your fear and you say 'I understand why you're here, but now you need to go away.'"

Jae giggled, "That's silly."

Jasmine looked her in the eye, and said, "It works, though. I promise."

"Ok, so now what?"

"I want to know what happened, Jae."

"Oh," Jaedrea said. "I guess we can go find out."

"What do you mean?" Jasmine asked, confused.

Jae shook her head. "I write every night in my journal. I have since Mom gave them to us. That's how Daddy and Obi-Wan found everything out, and decided it wasn't exactly my fault."

"And they gave it back to you?"

"Yeah. I haven't read it though. I thought it would be really scary to do it, and I'm kind of scared that I might agree with what I wrote."

"Being afraid of it isn't going to help you with it, Jae. Let's go look at it."

"Alright, Jaz," she said, and they headed for the door. Julia was just coming in as they passed the sofa. "Hey, Jul. We're going over to Master Obi-Wan's, come on, Jaz," she said, tugging Jasmine's arm.

"Alright, I'm coming," Jasmine said with a laugh. She wasn't sure that her sudden enthusiasm was more than an act, but it served to pique Julia's curiosity.

"What are you going to do over there?" she asked, directing her question at Jasmine.

"Read something," she answered, rolling her eyes. "I'm sure you would be bored to tears."

Julia nodded as Jasmine passed her. "We'll do something later, ok?"

"Sure, Jaz," Julia said as the door closed behind them. Jae let her go without her having to ask.

"I don't know about this," Jae said.

"You have to be persistent with fear, Jae. It likes to sneak back up on you again and again."

Jae nodded, taking a couple of deep breaths. "Are you sure it's ok to be scared?"

"Why don't you ask Uncle Obi-Wan?"

"Ok, I will."

They found the right door, and Jae let them in. Aunt Siri wasn't there, and neither was Uncle Obi-Wan. "Where is everybody?"

Jae shrugged. "Sometimes I don't see Master Obi-Wan until dinner, but usually Aunt Siri is here," she said, heading into her room. There was a note on the bed. Scanning it quickly, Jae said, "She says she's helping in the crèche because Liz is gone, and we're going to Dex's for dinner."

"Lucky."

"You could probably come, and bring Mara, too. Master Obi-Wan says much nicer things about her than he does about me and Daddy," Jae said with a wrinkle of her nose.

"I'll ask. Did you want to wait here while I go see?"

Jae nodded. "I can wait."

Jasmine went to her quarters, checking inside for Mara. "Mara?"

"In the kitchen," she heard Mara say, presumably from that location.

"Oh," she said as she rounded the corner so that she could see inside. "Master Siri is helping with the crèche, so she isn't cooking tonight. Do you think Uncle Obi-Wan would mind if we went with them to Dex's?"

"Does Master Obi-Wan know that he's going to Dex's for dinner?" Mara asked.

Jasmine shrugged. "Aunt Siri left a note on Jae's bed."

"Well, we can ask, and if the answer is no, then we'll eat here, how's that?"

"Fine, Mara. I'll be over at Uncle Obi-Wan's until dinner if that's ok."

"Fine. You know the time until dinner is yours."

She nodded, and went back to Jae. She was sitting on her bed with her journal in her lap.

She smiled encouragingly at her sister as Jae looked up when she walked into the room. "Are you ready?"

Jae nodded shakily. "I'm ready," she said, her voice a little more steady.

Jasmine sat down beside her, waiting for her to open the book. Jae took a deep breath, and then opened it.


Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Skywalker Central, 39:6:23

Cedric had avoided his twin for a couple of days, not that it was terribly difficult, and not that he hadn't spent the last year doing just that, but he'd let her catch him, off guard, unaware. She had sought him out, and he had been home when she did. But there was this gnawing inside of himself that she had put there. What she had said was getting to him. You won't face that alone…She didn't know what she was talking about. He always faced anything to do with her absolutely alone. Except when Luke was home. Except when he found the courage to bring it up with his father. But both of them were gone, on Dantooine, practicing for war, training his oldest two sisters in the fine art of Jedi General and troop-leader. He couldn't share with them, but Celia was trying to be understanding. And she was his twin; she should know what he was going through, even if he didn't quite understand everything himself. Whenever he thought about her, the multitude of emotions that he felt threatened to overwhelm him. He hadn't known that so many emotions could be contained within a single person and them not explode before.

He sighed, staring sightlessly at his homework. It wasn't going to get done with him in the particular mood he was in. He got up from his bed, and straightened the front of his robes, and headed for the Healer's Hall, so that he could talk with his twin, the only person available who could remotely understand what he was feeling.

"Good afternoon, Master Skywalker," a boy of perhaps six said as he scampered out of the door, headed back to class, from the look of it.

"Good afternoon," he said, but he was both too preoccupied and he hadn't spent any time in the crèche lately to make friends with the Initiates.


Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Kenobi Quarters, 39:6:23

Obi-Wan was somewhat surprised by the turn of events during the day. He'd been busy, and hadn't talked to Siri at all, or to Jaedrea, for that matter. He came home to something of an unusual sight. Jaedrea and Jasmine were dissecting some reading material in her bedroom, and his wife was nowhere in sight. "Jaedrea, where is Siri?"

"She went to help at the crèche, Master," Jae answered, and then turned her attention back to what the two of them were doing.

"Did she happen to say why she would be down there?"

"Because Leia and Liz are gone, there aren't as many staff members and then Kitster and Sabé are down there all the time," Jasmine answered.

"Just what are the two of you up to?"

The two of them looked up at the same moment, in the way that Anakin's children seemed to have of being much more alike than he was comfortable with. "I'm helping Jae with this," Jasmine said. He realized then what they had: her journal. Something he had hoped she would never have to look at again, she was revisiting, probably because Julia wasn't coping with the situation at hand. Jasmine watched him until he had processed through the thoughts, intense concentration in her dark blue eyes. Only when he was finished did she ask, "Would it be alright for Mara and me to have dinner with you tonight?"

He thought for a moment, and having no immediate objections spring to mind he said, "I see no reason that you cannot," he said with the twinkle in his eye he got anytime he teased any of Anakin's children.

She nodded, and then went back to the study of the journal, and he tried to puzzle through the odd situation he was finding himself in. His formerly boisterous, energetic Padawan had become subdued to the point of listlessness, and her sister, her opposite, in many, many respects, had become the spokesperson for the little trio, and yet she was still the peacemaker, and now the most outspoken of the three, but the change was especially apparent when dealing just with Jae and Jasmine.

Jasmine had by no means taken on Jaedrea's reckless streak, but had gained a quiet confidence that spoke volumes about the Jedi she could become. She could be many things her sister would have a very difficult time learning to be, and they would come easily to her. She was going to be a very interesting person to watch in the coming years.

"Master?" Jaedrea's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Yes, Padawan?"

"I want to ask you about some of the stuff in my journal. Can we do that after dinner?"

Obi-Wan looked thoughtful and surprised at the same time.

"I think that would be a good idea Jaedrea, you do me proud facing your fears like this," He knelt down and enveloped her in a hug which she returned with all the urgency of a scared nine-year-old girl.

"Thank you, Master," she said, sobbing with relief into his shoulders, Obi-Wan knew this would be a night of many tears.

He heard the front door to his quarters slide open then, and glanced over, seeing his wife walking through the door. "Mara and Jasmine will join us for dinner, if you don't mind."

"No," she said with a smile. "That's fine. I haven't had a chance to talk with Mara for some time."

"How was your day?"

"Rough. I really appreciate having grandchildren again, and not having children that young anymore."

"You don't have to…"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi, you of all people should know better than to say something like that. I'm just not used to it, that's all."

And so Obi-Wan uttered the phrase that had saved countless marriages in numerous galaxies across the universe. "Yes, dear."


Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Healer's Hall, 39:6:23

Celia was surprised to see Cedric walking into the Healer's—she practically had to drag him down with her when he had to have his yearly check-ups, and he was too conservative to get hurt the way most younglings and Padawans did, and so he was almost never in the Healer's. She puzzled at what he could be wanting for a moment, deciding that he could only possibly want to talk to her. Her heart soared as she wondered if he might possibly be taking steps to not bottle up his emotions in an unconstructive way, and be asking for help.

"Cedric," she said gently, "What are you doing here?" she asked, not wanting to assume anything with her twin.

"I kinda wanted to talk to you. Do you have some time?"

She nodded. "Let me ask Master Allie, and I should be able to talk to you for a little bit."

He nodded back to her, slipping back into silence. It was a more standard response from him. She sighed as she went back into the office she shared with her Master. "I'm going to go talk to Cedric for a while, Master, if you don't need me."

"That will be fine. I will let you know if there is something that I need for you to do," she said with a smile. Cedric had been a very heavy topic of late for her, so there was no real need for her to explain further.

"Thank you, Master. I'll be back when we are finished."

"Take all the time you need, Padawan," Master Allie replied, then returned to the datapad she had been working on, and Celia returned to her twin.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked him, knowing that he'd probably even gone to the point of scripting responses for her inside his own head, he planned things out so much.

"Why don't we go to the Room of a Thousand Fountains? I think I need a bit of room to move about."

"Cedric, pacing? Isn't that more Dad's style?" she teased.

He smiled a little as they left the Healer's. "I suppose, but I can occasionally do things his way."

It was a short trip to the bottom level that was commonly used in the Temple. There were further levels down, but the only ones in use were storage, and maintenance and the like. "It's so peaceful here," she commented, rarely having the chance herself to set foot in the room.

"Especially since Master Yoda died. They have changed some of the Fountains and some of the layout of the plants since he died. There are many more retreat spots now. It's less open."

"You're down here a lot, aren't you?"

He nodded, looking down at the path, walking slowly. She let him have his silence for a while as they walked, and at a juncture that seemed to present many options, he instead headed off the path, to one of the small secluded areas he had previously mentioned. Once they got through the small opening he indicated, they were in an enclosed area about the size of their common room. She was surprised by how big the area was, it really hadn't looked that big on the outside, and besides there were five paths converging right there, there shouldn't have been room for an area the size of their common room. Their common room wasn't that big, but still.

She settled down on the bench just to one side, knowing that Cedric would take whatever time he needed, if she could just be patient enough. At least that was what her Master had said. She folded her legs up underneath her, and set her chin on one knee and waited. She waited for him to be ready to tell her what he wanted her to know. He sighed. She waited for him to start, but he just paced another lap.

"Are you going to say anything?" he asked her finally.

"If you need me to."

"I'm not sure where to start, Sis."

"What do you think about the baby?"

"I think that he adds a dimension to things that is going to make life more difficult for both of us. He's not going to have it easy no matter what. I'm scared for him. He shouldn't be involved in all of this. I'm afraid of what is going to happen to him, whether I can be there for him enough, whether I can trust her enough to do what's best for him, whether she can take care of him. She can barely take care of herself, for Force's sake."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to do what I can. She listens to me, at least on some things. Maybe I can talk her into doing things that will make life easier on the rest of us. Maybe I can talk her into letting me take him. I doubt it, though. I think I'm going to have to fight her for any significant change that I want her to make. She's not easy to get along with."

"Would you be satisfied with someone who was?"

"I doubt it," he said, then laughed. "I sometimes miss the way Dad used to be. He's been different since…"

"Since Luke got back from chasing her down," Celia supplied.

Cedric nodded. "That's right. I know that everything isn't exactly perfect between the two of them, but that's the kind of relationship I want, when I'm ready to start thinking about that, but Dad's so…different, now."

"I don't know why, though."

"He used to tease Mom so much that she'd get mad at her, but he doesn't do it anymore," he said, continuing on as though he hadn't heard her comment, "He's…different."

"I've noticed. Everybody's noticed. Nobody says anything, though," she said.

He shrugged, and she knew he probably had a reasonably good idea of what was going on with the two of them, but he didn't know how to say so or wasn't supposed to say anything. "Do you think it's a good change, or a bad one?" he asked her, redirecting her attention to another aspect of their parents' relationship.

"He's quieter. I don't think he's happier, but sometimes, I see him looking at Mom like she's the most beautiful thing in the room. He didn't used to do that."

"I think he forgot how, and got reminded," Cedric said, and that was probably the closest that she was going to get to how her father had changed, at least for a while.

"Maybe," she said, ducking her head. She wanted someone who would look at her like that, someday. "Are you going to change, when he's born?"

"I think so. I don't know exactly how, though. I'm not going to stop being your brother."

"No, but it's another thing that you have to be to someone else. Are you ready for it?"

"I don't know. I think so, at least partly. I have to be ready to be his father, because I'm the only one that he's got, and is ever going to have."

"I want to help you, but I don't know how."

"I don't know how you can help out either. I will let you know when I figure it out," he said, and she looked at him and realized that she was already doing the most important thing that she could be doing. She was listening to his fears and she wasn't judging them. In his place, she would probably not be holding up nearly as well as he was doing.

"I want to be here for you, Cedric. I won't abandon you," she told him.

He smiled at her. "I know, and I've been abusing our relationship. I know that you are the one person that I can never leave behind, and I've been shutting you out because I don't know how to deal with what's going on."

"Whenever you need me, I'm here for you. Master Allie knows how important it is."

"She probably knows everything, right? I mean, she's on the Council, and she has you, so she's pretty much got all the gory details in, doesn't she?" Cedric asked, sounding a bit frustrated, and sad, but he wasn't holding onto the deep-seated anger like he had been up until Luke started talking to him.

"I suppose you could look at it like that, but it also means that she understands how much support you are going to need, and that Dad and Luke are away, so you really don't have anybody to talk to. I know there's Mom, but she isn't exactly what you'd call motherly."

"I wouldn't want anyone else. She's the best mom in the galaxy. Just because she doesn't bake cookies and stay home doesn't mean anything. If I want cookies, I'll go to Aunt Siri's. I know where she hides the sweets jar."

Celia grinned. She hadn't known that, or that Cedric knew. "Where?"

He grinned. "Behind the cans of Corellian Fal leaves."

"Ew. No wonder none of us could find them."

"Aunt Siri is good at understanding how kids work. Either that or she hid them there out of desperation when Fin and Dan were little, and no one else has ever found the hiding spot. I think I was five when I found the jar."

"I would guess that's more likely," Celia said, laughing. Neither of the two of them had much reason to be over to Aunt Siri and Uncle Obi-Wan's anymore, but she wasn't going to forget when she was. She did have enough self-restraint to not eat more than a couple of sweets at a time, anyway.

She sighed contentedly, and he said, "I do need to get some homework done, but I couldn't settle down to it. I think I'm going to be able to do that now."

"Glad I could help, little brother. Let me know if you need me, whenever," she said, getting up.

"I will. You are the best, Sis."

"I know," she said, but she was teasing, and they both started laughing. He led them out of the Room of a Thousand Fountains, and they went back to their work, both more at ease with what life had in store for them.


Dantooine, Jedi Temple, dining hall 39:6:23

Anakin was still brooding, not that many people outside his family would have been able to tell. Luke and Leia seemed to be avoiding him based on his mood, but he didn't really blame them. He wouldn't have wanted to be around himself if he'd had a choice either. Several Knights who seemed to idolize him had made him more than a bit uncomfortable, but he made them clear out when he saw Liz headed his way. He wasn't really in the mood to talk to Liz, but he really wasn't in the mood to talk to a bunch of star-struck youth.

Not that Liz seemed aware of his mood. That bothered him, that Luke and Leia were so acutely aware that he was in a bad frame of mind, and Liz seemed to want to seek him out, either in spite of, or worse, because of his mood. He shoved the grumbling part of himself down into one of the many holes in his mind, and he forced a smile on his face.

"Hi, Daddy," she said cheerfully as she sat down. She'd been moody since her trials had begun, and he was grateful that it didn't seem to be affecting her too much at that moment.

"Hello, kitten. Did you want something in particular?"

"I wanted to ask you about your trials, and how you handled them."

His smile faded as he became serious. "I don't think I handled them well, personally, but a better person to ask might be Master Obi-Wan."

"He's not here, Daddy, and you are. I need you to help me through this," she said, serious suddenly.

He raised his eyebrow at her, but she didn't give. He frowned, and said, "You are supposed to be doing this on your own. You shouldn't need more help."

"Sometimes knowing what to do means admitting that you can't do something alone."

He smiled, and she smiled back, lighting up her face brilliantly, her green eyes flashing merrily at him. "Alright, but only because you are much smarter than I was at your age. There are four trials. First is a trial of the loss of your innocence in some way. If you don't make it through that one, most of the time the Force lets you try again."

"So did I pass that?"

"Yes, though I did have much trouble learning that particular aspect of my training."

"You failed your first trial?"

"In one way or another I failed every one of my trials at least once. That's the secret to the trials: you must face them again and again, and even when you pass, the test gets thrown at you again in a different form."

"Why do we do it, then? Why do we become Jedi?"

"If we didn't, who would? There would definitely not be peace in the galaxy if we weren't around to ease tension."

She nodded at the wisdom of his statement. "What else?"

"There is the trial of skill, an easy one, usually, at least for those in the Skywalker Clan. It's later that they get tougher. There is also a trial of courage, and one of wisdom."

"How do you know what's what, and when your trials are?"

"You don't, not really. It's rather an arbitrary thing, in my opinion. When your master thinks you are ready, or the Force requires it, you face your trials. Your master has declared that you are nearly ready for your trials, though I don't think this is quite what she had in mind. The Council has permitted me a bit of leeway on this, so your trials will come in the form of combat. Sometimes you can affect the trials, and sometimes you can't."

"I'm scared, Daddy."

"That's good, you should be afraid, just remember to USE your fear, and don't let it be a distraction. Let your fear increase your perceptions and your reaction times so you can use the Force for other things," her father said.

"That sound awfully close to the Dark side…" she said biting her lip, concern for him spilling into her voice. He chuckled.

"I suppose it might to one who isn't a Master. The difference is subtle in comparison to the Sith teachings, which I know all too well. Of course the teachings of the Sith are very close to the teachings of the Jedi. Something of a dark mirror, it's one of the Sith's recruiting tools, I think. Fear is natural, so is anger, the Sith use them as weapons. Fear is a useful tool, it is a physiological reaction to danger, and you can't stop it from happening, same with anger. The trick is not to act FROM the emotions, but to USE the emotions for their natural purposes, but no more than that," Anakin said.

"I don't understand," Liz said.

"All emotion is the same, only the circumstances that bring it on make it different. The triggers of emotion are what make an emotion pleasant or unpleasant. Anger fundamentally has the same feeling as love does, the symptoms of both emotions are identical, yet we say one is positive and the other is negative. That is a misconception, just as much evil can come of love as evil and just as much good can come from anger as it can from love. I fell to the dark side because I loved too much."

"I don't understand."

"I love your mother more than life itself, Liz. I love all of my family more than my own life. That now extends to most of the Order itself; however things were much different last time around. You know from your history classes what the Order was like before the Great Change, so let me tell you what it was like for a little boy, from Tatooine that missed his mother terribly. After Master Qui-Gon's death, Obi-Wan took me as his apprentice. This fact I think is why Yoda insisted that he do so this time around also, and there were other factors that went into that decision, but I digress. Obi-Wan loves me as a son, a brother, I'm his best friend and he is mine. We would do anything for each other. This was true the first time around also, but Obi-Wan, because of the Order's rules, didn't show me just how much he cared. I think he gained a great amount of understanding of me when he met me, the redeemed Sith Lord, thirty-six years ago. But originally growing up I was starved for demonstrated affection, and any praise that he gave me I lapped up in place of that," tears lit his eyes, unshed and he paused for a few minutes then continued, "You can't imagine what it is like to go from being tucked in at night by a mother you know beyond a shadow of a doubt loves you with every fiber of her being, to being made to go to bed with just a 'Sleep well, Padawan, tomorrow will be busier than today.' Good advice yes, but not what I needed, and I wasn't about to ask for it, even if I had known at the time what I was missing, or could put it into words. Even when I would have nightmares, there was no comfort from Obi-Wan, not the kind I needed. Qui-Gon wasn't there to advise either of us, and the orders rules forbid him from being that close to me, and he followed the rules as much as he could, thinking that because he followed the rules, he was a good Jedi, and he was, or is. The old rules just didn't work for me. So I turned to Chancellor Palpatine. Palpatine was like a favorite uncle to me, I could talk to him about things that I could never bring myself to talk with Obi-Wan about," Anakin paused again.

"Well, at least you had someone," she said, but he shook his head with a sad smile.

"Sweetie, who was the Senator who caused the Massacre at the Senate?" Anakin asked, with a hint of mild amusement in his eyes, Liz, seeing that realized for the first time just how complicated her father truly was, she thought for a moment and hung her head.

"He was the Sith Lord. Senator Palpatine from Naboo?" she asked, as though it wasn't the name of the man who'd held her father's soul captive for twenty-three long years. Because to her he wasn't. He was someone who'd died years before she was born, and she'd grown up safely unaware of his importance.

"Yes," he confirmed for her, "And while if Finis Valorum had taken me under his wing it would have been a good thing, when a Sith takes an interest in you, hold on to your soul cause he will steal it. He stole mine and it wasn't easy to get back. To continue, because there is a point to this, things went on like that for a while, then there was an assassination attempt on the new Senator from Naboo. Obi-Wan and I were asked to protect her. Of course that Senator was your mother. I had been half in love with her since I was nine, now that I was a strapping lad of nineteen, with all the inherent pitfalls associated with that, I fell the other half in love with her. I still remember that day like it was yesterday, she looked so beautiful. Ten years had past since I had last seen her and neither one of us were the children we were then. I think she was as taken with me as I was with her at the time, but your mother has always been the more practical of the two of us. I'm digressing again. I'm trying to get to a point, but I keep getting lost in memories."

"It's ok. I'm getting used to it, I think."

He nodded. "The end of the Clone Wars is where I'm really headed here. I found out that Palpatine was the Sith Lord we were looking for, but unfortunately he'd been working me over well before that. I had been having nightmares about your mother dying in childbirth. Now that I think about it I wonder if Palpatine didn't influence those dreams somehow," he said, pausing slightly at the thought, "He seemed to know about us and I had told no one that we were married. I was scared, and he offered me the one thing I couldn't even ask of the Jedi Order. A way to save her. Because of that, when the time came to make the irrevocable choice, I chose wrong. Mace was going to kill Palpatine and I stopped him, allowing Palpatine to kill him. I realized that I had made a horrible mistake, but instead of correcting that error then and there I compounded it by assuming that there was no turning back, besides at the time the only thing that mattered to me was saving your mother. Then Palpatine had me take the 501st clone trooper legion to the Jedi temple to slaughter the Jedi. It was after that that I truly couldn't turn back. That is how love can be just as destructive as hate. It is a lesson you should take to heart. Things are better now because the Jedi have been strengthened the support structure for all of us, indeed that is why your grandmother is still alive," he finished.

"I think I understand," Liz said, surprised at just how much pain her father had been through.

"Now do you understand a little of why I want you here, and not at home? I know you're stronger than you've been required to be. You are here because of everything I've been telling you."

She looked down for a moment, gathering herself. "I can do it," she said as she looked back up at him.

"That's my girl. I'll see you later tonight," he said, getting up and taking his tray with him. "I'm going to go meditate."


Coruscant, Coco Town, Dex's Diner, 39:6:23

Jaedrea wasn't sure that she was going to be able to talk much during dinner, there were so many things running through her head, but as they walked into Dex's, she got caught up in the excitement, and she was demanding Dex's attention as he came out to see what the commotion was.

"Well, Miss Jaedrea. How have you been? I haven't seen you in months, I don't think."

"Yes, it has been a while hasn't it?" Obi-Wan asked, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"I've missed you, Dex," she said to him, wondering how he'd ever gotten as big as he was. One of his limbs was as big around as she was in the middle.

"And Mara? I haven't seen you or your mate in a good long time."

"We've been a bit busy, Dex," Mara said, her hand on her stomach. It really didn't seem like it had been very long at all since she'd seen Mara no where near as pregnant looking as she was now.

"And the littlest of them all, though not for long from what I hear," Dex said to Jasmine. "And you've been braided, too. Who's your new Master?"

Jasmine looked up at Dex. He'd been around since well before even Daddy had come to the Temple, and known Master Obi-Wan at least as long as he'd been in business down here in CoCo Town. "Luke is my Master."

He seemed surprised at that. "Really, little one? Your brother?"

She nodded in agreement.

Dex looked at Jasmine sympathetically. "You miss your master, little one?"

She nodded. "Master Luke is probably going to be gone for a long time. Maybe a couple of years."

"Probably not that long, Jasmine," Obi-Wan said. "I think he'd want to be home long before then, and possibly you can go out with him in a year or so, after you've gotten into your training a bit more. I'm sure that would be acceptable to Luke if this war is still going on then."

She ducked her head shyly and blushed. Jaedrea was surprised she'd said anything at all, but maybe she was doing the same thing with talking to people that Jae was having to do with facing what she'd been through since their birthday. No matter how absorbing what she was doing was, her mind never strayed far from the Journal or her brush with darkness. She shook her head, having gotten lost in thought, and found she was being propelled forward by her Master's hand towards their usual table, though it usually only seated four. Siri slid into the seat, followed by Mara, and then she understood. She and Jasmine were still little enough that the two of them together could count for a regular person. Jasmine got into the booth, and she scooted in after her, and her Master trapped both of them in, not that either of them were likely to misbehave at Dex's, of all places. She would be grounded for the rest of her Padawanhood, at least. He might even take her out of Flight class. That would be truly horrible. They ordered before they settled into talking. Dex had gone back to the kitchen at some point between her mind wandering and them sitting down.

After the droid waitress left with their order Aunt Siri asked Mara, "So how are you feeling with this new one on the way?"

"Fine, Master Siri. She's not too much in the way, though I imagine I may change my mind in the next two months."

"That's to be expected. Will they let Luke come home for her arrival?" she asked, looking at Master Obi-Wan as she said it.

"If that can be done it will be, Siri, you know that."

She nodded in acknowledgement. "Are you girls excited about your niece?"

"Yes, Master Siri," Jasmine answered quietly.

"Yes, Master Siri," she echoed her sister a beat later.

"You are both so quiet today, are you sick?"

"No, Aunt Siri, we're fine. Just thoughtful," Jasmine answered, and Jaedrea let her answer for both of them. It wasn't often that she would let someone answer for her, but she so much didn't know what was going on inside her own head right at that moment, that she didn't have any reason to contradict Jasmine. She was full of thoughts, many of them unpleasant, and she didn't have much hope of it getting better anytime soon.

"I know you're the quiet one, Jasmine, but I rarely see your sister being so quiet."

"She is going to be ok, but it will take time."

"I know. She's a fighter," Siri said.

Jasmine seemed very grateful that dinner came, right then, because it alleviated her of the necessity of saying anything more. Jasmine and Jaedrea devoted their full attention to their dinner, but Jaedrea listened to what the three adults were saying.

"So how is Elizabeth taking this assignment of her father's?" Siri asked Obi-Wan.

"As well as can be expected. She is very gentle, though Anakin seems encouraged that she will be a capable leader in battle."

"What about Luke?" Mara asked.

"He is understandably saddened by the turn of events, but he's holding up better than Liz I think. He's having a bit of trouble adapting to the command room, but he's effective on the battlefield. Leia is having the opposite problem, from the sound of it. Each of them has their own talents, and Anakin is trying to expand their abilities, but I don't know how well that will really work."

"Why is he trying to expand their abilities, Uncle Obi-Wan?" Jasmine asked, uncharacteristically. Jaedrea was sure that Jasmine was changing, and changing drastically under Luke's tutelage, but she wasn't used to it yet. It was for the better, but it was also so strange to have Jasmine asking questions. She wasn't opposed to the idea, but she definitely wasn't used to it.

"If they can perform adequately in both places, it frees them up to be paired with others who are less talented, or less experienced, or both. As it stands, they will do well paired together, though I would be hesitant to encourage that. It might make them more vulnerable to attacks."

"If they can do good in both positions, they can be sent off by themselves?" Jasmine asked.

"That's very insightful, Jasmine. Yes, they can go out by themselves, and they can teach others how to command in both a strategic sense, and on the battlefield," Obi-Wan answered. Jasmine fell quiet again, and they ate their food as the adults turned their full attention on their food.


Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Saesee Tiin's Quarters, 39:6:23

Julia was not ready to be part of her family again, and she was doing what Cedric had done for a long time, she ran away from them, spending more and more time at her Master's quarters. He had helped her with her lightsaber; it was finished now. He was helping her with an X-wing, one that they had picked out together to work on, customize, and make their own. It was going to be a long time before she would be able to go up by herself, anyway, and with the X-wings, having just been brought in astromechs were at a premium around the Temple Complex. It was a good thing her father had built and repaired so many of them.

The astromechs that hadn't attached themselves to any particular Jedi usually congregated in the Flight Arena, though no one paid them much mind, and they could be found in any part of the Temple Complex that caught their curiosity. Her father was pretty good at making sure that the droids would remain loyal to the Temple and not wander off, so it was really rare for one to be found wearing a restraining bolt, unless it was one that had been donated to the Temple and hadn't been cleared by him yet.

"Julia," her Master, Saesee Tiin, said, sounding slightly exasperated, as she walked into his common room.

"Yes, Master?"

"I thought you were going to work at home today."

"I don't feel comfortable there."

"And why is that?"

"Because Jae can just come in whenever she wants, and I don't know what to say to her," she admitted finally.

"You are going to have to deal with that. She is your sister, and you cannot avoid her forever."

She dropped her eyes, ashamed that he had to tell her this, "I know, Master, but it's hard. She's…"

"She is your sister, and you must at least be able to tolerate being in the same room with her. No one is asking that you return to the relationship that you had with her before, but you must at least be able to deal with her. Avoiding the problem is not healthy, nor is it going to be acceptable any longer."

"Yes, Master," she said after a long pause. "I don't know how to do that, Master."

"We will work on it together, my Padawan."

"Yes, Master."

"But first, you have homework that you need to get done, and you may do that here."

"Thank you, Master," she said, grateful beyond words that he wasn't going to force her to go home right that moment.


Dantooine, Jedi Temple, hallway, 39:6:23

Liz was sitting in one of the unused hallways. The schedule her father had set for them was grueling, but it was nothing compared to real battle.

Or so she'd been told. Luke seemed to be just as determined as their father to push both of his sisters into exhaustion. Leia didn't seem to mind it, either. Battle-win-debrief-create a new strategy-battle again. It had been going on for close to a week, virtually non-stop.

The Clones disturbed her slightly as well, just because they were, well, clones. She'd learned from watching her father that there were slight variations between them, more in personality than anything else, that would permit her to differentiate them. Then, of course they were numbered. That was what disturbed her more than anything else about them. The group of commanders and sub-commanders directly under her command had mostly all picked up nicknames.

Cody was her overall commander, and Oddball, her "opposition," and her father and the twins had all taken over the role of Jedi commander for the group opposing her—and she had outdone all of them. Even her father. But now she was tired—and hiding, if she wanted to be honest about it. It wasn't like she couldn't be commed—and she'd begun to hate that device as much as the battles themselves.

She understood that in a real battle there wouldn't be much if any downtime, but she needed it right then. Her troops had their orders, and Cody had been told to com her when the attack actually commenced. It scared her a bit that all these troops were depending on her to lead them. When it came down to actual battle, she would have all of them, but right now she was having enough trouble wrapping her mind around leading half of them.

She was also sure that her mother wouldn't approve of some of the things that the twins and their father said to each other. It was all in reasonably good fun, and it usually relieved the tension, but some things were downright morbid. Like when they started talking about something called the Death Star.

"Hiding, are you?" she heard out of nowhere.

She looked around for Fin, but didn't see him. "If you want to call it that."

He came out of a door recess not far down the hall. "I didn't think Skywalkers hid."

"It's a perfectly acceptable strategy when one is outnumbered."

"That's all you've been thinking about for the last week, isn't it?" he said, meaning strategy.

She nodded as he sat down beside her. "I've never seen Dad so obsessive about anything."

"You will be fine, I'm sure."

"How are your classes going?" she asked needing a change of subject.

"Well, I have mostly kids the same age as the Triple Terror, but they are good kids. No Skywalkers out here."

She punched him in the arm. "Hey, be nice."

"Why? Besides, Dan and me were in on some of the stuff the twins did, and I'm sure that Olisa is going to be just as bad as the rest of us."

"We aren't that bad."

"You don't remember the twins painting the Council Chambers green, do you?"

She winced. "I remember Dad yelling for what seemed like a week straight."

"Or the Triple Terror painting the Falcon pink?"

"Or when Cedric and Celia set the three of them loose on the Temple for the first time when they were two?"

"See—Skywalkers, all of them, are tricksters. I think I like it here. It's nice and quiet. At least it was until four Skywalkers descended upon the Temple."

"I'll go home if you don't stop impugning the honor of my family."

He put his arm around her, saying, "I couldn't possibly do worse to your family's honor than your father already has."

She couldn't help but laugh—which had been his intention all along.