He had to leave.

Obi-Wan drummed his fingers on the edge of the table idly, the unease caused by Anakin's call persisting in the back of his mind. He'd already spoken to the council, who assured him that they knew of his former padawan's peril and had already notified the closest squadron, but it did little to settle the disquiet in his gut.

His friend, his brother needed him, and here he was, chatting with politicians and royalty. It wasn't that the dinner or it's attendants were bad; quite the contrary. He just couldn't enjoy it when he knew Anakin could be hurting, or worse. Why else would the boy have called him, if it wasn't for the fact that the matter was urgent?

"Ben?" His mother appeared at his shoulder, delicate brows furrowed in concern. "Is everything okay?"

He sighed, returning her kiss on the cheek. "Anakin commed me a few hours ago. His mission went wrong, and he's been injured. The council has sent a medical frigate from their nearest checkpoint, but it won't be there for another eight hours, at the very least."

"And you're closer?" He nodded, and she blinked. "Then why are you still here?"

He hesitated, knocked off guard by the question. "I… my leave isn't up for another week, and you've had this dinner planned for two. If I leave now, there's no guarantee that they'll let me…"

She placed her hand over his, understanding in her eyes. "Did I ever tell you that the Jedi gave me a choice whether or not I wanted to keep you?"

The abrupt change of subject brought him up short. "No. I thought law dictates…"

"In the case that the individual in question is a firstborn or heir, the Jedi allow the parents to make their own decision about the child's future." Her smile was sad, the barest sheen of tears showing in her eyes as she squeezed his hand. "I'd had difficulties in conceiving a child, and the doctors weren't hopeful of another. When Lonn, our physician, told us that you were Force-sensitive, he advised us to keep you, despite the possible consequences. Your father wanted to keep you, no matter what, but I knew that it would have been wrong for us to stop you. I didn't know much how the Force worked, but I knew that whatever it did, It had chosen you for a reason, and who was I to stand in it's way?"

"So you gave me up." He wondered if he should feel hurt by the fact, but couldn't it within him to be so.

"I let you go. I knew you had abilities that I could never comprehend, that I would only hold you back. I knew that in the Temple, you would receive the training you would need, the attention you deserved. There were families that raised Force-sensitive children themselves, and they all went on to do great things, but nothing in comparison to what you have." Lovingly, she brushed a strand of hair away from his forehead. "I'm so proud of you, Ben, and even though it hurts to know that I can't keep you forever, it hurts more to think that I would stand in the way of who you are."

Kriff. Obi-Wan tried to swallow the lump of emotion growing in his throat, to no avail. He'd tried to suppress unwelcome sentiments for most of his life, but this woman somehow managed to single-handedly break down even the densest of his walls. "I love you, mum."

Delighted surprise lit in her eyes, and she smiled through her tears. "I love you too, Ben."


Satine sighed in relief as the lift doors closed, happy to finally be alone. She'd spent the last hour navigating the rooms of Kiyhof, trying and failing to find a moment's peace. Everywhere she went, it seemed that someone wanted to talk to her, to get her opinion on one topic or another. She'd never enjoyed parties for that exact reason, but having a single goal in mind made it all the worse.

The cool night air met her when she stepped out of the lift and onto the rooftop, bringing refreshment after the stifling feeling of being inside. Here, there was another garden, much like the one surrounding the house, only on a much smaller scale.

Then there was Obi-Wan.

He stood at the pinnacle of the roof, hands clasped behind his back and head bowed. Doubtlessly meditating on whatever it was that had upset him. Whenever she'd seen him meditating before, however, he'd always seemed calm and at peace. The furrowing of his brow and tension in his stance spoke of something far different.

"Obi?"

His shoulders slumped a bit at her voice, disappointment seeming to roll of him. "I can't stay."

She forced herself to exhale slowly, her mind racing through the possibilities of the statement. Had the council called him back already? She knew first hand how powerful the Chancellor was; there was little doubt he could force the Jedi to do whatever he wanted, even if the practices to get them there was on the unethical side. "Next week?"

"Tonight." His eyes snapped open, the distress as clear in the slate gray orbs. "Anakin's in trouble, injured. I have to… I have to help him."

No wonder he seemed so torn up. She'd heard many things about the iconic duo of Kenobi and Skywalker, and close didn't do them justice. "Have you told your family?"

"Mum knows, and I'm sure she'll tell Adira. I'm afraid she's still none too happy with me." Running his fingers through his hair, he looked back out toward Kiystad, still brightly lit despite the late hour. "I have no idea when I'll be able to come back. Generally, I'm giving a few days of leave between missions, but war is a demanding mistress who does not like to share."

"But you'll bow to her whims because you know it's the only way to save the galaxy, even if you get killed in the process." Gods, she loved him. "And that is why there will never be a better Jedi."

She saw the objection in his eyes before he even opened his mouth. "I'm not…"

She kissed him.

He stayed frozen for a moment, stiff and unresponsive. Then, cautiously and somewhat fearfully, he kissed her back, unfailingly gentle even in this. Under her fingertips, through the fine wool of his robes, she could feel him relaxing, the tightness in his muscles unwinding. He tasted heady and intoxicating, of wine and herbs. His beard-something she had yet to get used to-wasn't stiff and prickly as she had imagined, but soft and a bit ticklish.

Somehow, it was both the same and vastly different from the quick, covert kisses they'd shared when they were younger, or even the occasional languid, desperate ones they'd had the chance to indulge in the night before he'd left. Like them, it was something of bittersweet understanding. Their version of maturity, if a kiss could be classified as such.

Satine pulled back first, tears immediately welling up in her eyes. "You are."


It took him a good twenty seconds to realize what she was talking about. The kiss had fried his brains like water on a circuit board. How she was even able to talk was a wonder to him.

He stared at her for a full minute, trying to comprehend what had just happened. She'd kissed him. She'd kissed him.

Why in the blazes had she kissed him?

And even more importantly, why had he kissed her back?

It was a prime example of why he was not a good Jedi. Good Jedi didn't go around visiting their family and smooching pretty politicians. At least, not if they weren't Anakin, who was also Force-sensitive enough to cover a multitude of sins.

"Don't." Her hand was soft and delicate where it cupped the side of his face, and he couldn't stop himself from leaning into her touch. "Don't compare yourself to them. You'll never come out on top if you do."

It wasn't the first time someone had told him that. Qui-Gon had often told him the same thing. In fact, several of his elders had, though not nearly as much of late. When he'd been a youngling, despairing of ever earning the right to become a padawan, the creche master had been a firm believer that he was his own person, and remarkable in his own.

If it had been true, than why had all the others in his class been picked and he'd been sent to Agricorps? Whatever had been so remarkable about him obviously hadn't been very desirable, for several masters had shied away from him in favor of other younglings. Even Qui-Gon had only taken him on as a way to settle his debt.

Even now, as the possibility of taking a new padawan arose, and he'd had occasion to look in on those of a suitable age, he'd been reluctant to shoulder the responsibility. Most of the younglings fell on either end of the spectrum of talent, and he didn't trust himself on either. He didn't have the skills to teach a student who was extremely talented-Anakin was proof of that. At the same time, he needed a padawan who was independent and strong enough to look after themselves, either on or off the battlefield. The front lines was no place for a youngling, and he couldn't bear the thought of choosing a padawan only to have them shot down a few days later.

How many other masters had suffered the same?

No, he was better off without one. Anakin had shown him just how incompetent he was, especially in the teaching department. After the war, if he stayed with the Jedi, he might take a student, but for now, it was better that he dismiss the thought in its entirety. He had Anakin and Ahsoka, who were more than enough for him to handle.

"Stop." Her lips pressed against his again, somehow too long, yet not long enough. "Stop thinking. You think too much."

"But I'm not…"

She rested her forehead against his, toying "Name one Jedi who follows the code even half as rigorously as you do."

"Master Yoda, Master Windu…"

Satine rolled her eyes. "Someone who didn't found the order. Someone who's less than sixty."

He wanted to kiss her, but felt that it would only lesson his credibility as a Jedi. Not that he had much of that right now. "Luminara Unduli. Shaak Ti. Adi Gallia."

If she was listening, he couldn't tell, and he honestly didn't care. Her fingers were playing with the hairs along the nape of his neck, her slim body pressed flush to his as she nuzzled his neck. "You're too hard on yourself."

That might actually be true.

"Go." Her voice was a whisper, her eyes heavy lidded and dark. "Go, save the galaxy. And when you're done, come back to us."

She wasn't asking him to stay, but the words were no less powerful. He had a mission, a task to complete. For the first time since he'd arrived, the will of the Force seemed to be clearly calling to him, telling him what needed to do.

Obligations first, love and family second.

After all, wasn't that the way of the Jedi?


Whew, it took us a while, but we got here! This chapter really took some coaxing to get out. I had plans for it, but somehow inspiration doesn't always agree with the chosen storyline. Once again, sorry for the delay. Life has been sucking recently, but hopefully everything will just get easier from here. We've crossed one of the biggest hurdles, which is the important part. Now, one or two more chapters in this arc, and we'll be moving on to our first interlude.

Anyway, I won't way you down with too much author's note. Head on over to my Tumblr to see a bit of the story why this chapter was so late if you like, and thank you all for your support.

Comments might be a bit messy (I got a new phone, so I might miss a couple of you guys. Hopefully not, but I apologize before hand if I do.)

Nightsdhade_sydneylover150 (Ao3): I know, we didn't get to see a whole lot of the engagement in this chapter (it's coming, I promise), but we'll certainly be seeing the padawan and grandpadawan in the near future.

Jxjxjx (FF): Haha, I hope this was enough speed for you! What Eoin's feelings are on this whole subject? Force only knows.

Imekh Melaff (FF): I'm sorry for not updating! School is horrible (Why, oh why did I let them convince me summer classes were a good idea?) and my writing has suffered near as much as your reading. Kaden and Eoin are both some of my favorite OC's, though I couldn't work either of them into this chapter. Obi-Wan seems like he's getting exactly what he wanted, though, even if it means he has to go rescue the padawan once again.

hshh (Ao3): Thank you so much! Hopefully we'll get to see a bit more of them than we have in this chapter (Don't worry, we will). I hope you enjoyed!

Well, that's all, folks! See you (hopefully) in two weeks!