Chapter 29

Having seen the treat Anen had given to his older brother, Ty approached the kitchen counter and took a seat on one of the stools. "Are you going to share with the rest of us?" he asked hopefully.

The Abrams nanny looked up from her task to see the younger guests filing into the kitchen area, all gathering around the center island where she was currently baking. Picking up a pan, she offered each of the teens a snack to hold them over till last meal was ready. "Don't ask for more because the answer is 'no,'" she warned.

Quin pulled up a chair beside Obi-Wan and grinned. Looking at Leila he asked, "So you've known this goofball how long?"

The young lady smiled at the young Jedi. "Not long, actually. Couple years at most, but the memories aren't always clear. Just the feelings attached to them," she replied.

Turning his attention back to his friend, he asked, "Shouldn't someone tell Siri about this?"

In a low voice, Obi-Wan replied, "Don't even think about it."

"Oh, I'm thinking about it my friend; I'm just wondering how I'm going to deliver it."

Garen eased his way between the two and leaned back against the counter, facing them. Knowing Siri's temperament, he casually asked, "Quin, who do think will get the worse end of the deal…the one the message is about or the messenger? After all, the one the message is about isn't exactly handy, while the messenger on the other hand…." The padawan trailed off leaving the thoughts of the other to wonder at the implication.

"You know, he has a point," Jace leaned over and said.

After much coercion, he and Ty had gotten their brother to spill the details on the young female Jedi who held his affections. "And from what I've heard, you don't want to take the brunt of that reaction."

"Who are you talking about?" Ty asked.

"No one," the four of them said in unison.

"Siri, huh?" Leila asked. "And she would be?"

Obi-Wan looked at his onetime intended and said, "A really good friend."

"I see," she replied, a hint of a smile hovering around her lips. "I'm guessing if circumstances were different, I'd have some competition."

Garen's head whipped around to stare at his friend. "What is she talking about?"

"Oh, you haven't heard?" Ty asked, all too happy to inform brother's friends about their impending marriages. "We have contractual marriage arrangements. Only Obi-Wan and Leila's was annulled after he disappeared."

"You're engaged?" Garen asked, looking at his friend and then to the other two Abrams brothers.

"Technically speaking, yes; however, we're not 'officially' engaged, so to speak, until we're old enough to ask our intended for her hand in marriage," Jace explained. "Ty and Samara still have some growing up to do before they're ready to take that step."

Turning toward the silent young man standing behind Jace, Garen asked, "What about you?"

"My fiancé is from a different sector since the Abrams didn't have a daughter. A backup arrangement is always made in case the two families wishing to merge don't have enough children of opposite genders to marry as was the case with our families. A few years later Zahra was born and Jace had his intended. When the Abrams learned they were having another boy, my parents finalized an alternate arrangement," Taj explained.

"And you are all okay with this?" Quin asked.

"It's what we're raised with," Leila replied. "We don't have experience otherwise."

"So if the contract is void between you and Obi-Wan, what happens to you?" Garen asked.

"My parents are in the process of finalizing an arrangement with a young man who is the brother of Taj's fiancé," Leila answered.

Obi-Wan glanced at Jace and then Taj before addressing Leila, "Are you all right with this?"

The young girl shrugged one shoulder. "He's a nice young man, respectable, courteous and he treats me well."

"That's not what I asked," Obi-Wan said, his gaze intent on hers.

"It doesn't matter if I'm okay with it or not, Ben. Unless our parents reinstate our original agreement, this is the way it will be. And from my understanding, your affiliation with the Jedi cancels any reinstatement unless both parties agree. I overheard your father explaining that to my parents earlier today."

Seeing his friend's internal struggle and not quite understanding it, Garen asked, "Does this bother you?"

Blue-gray eyes locked onto his a moment, the force pulsing between them as Obi-Wan tried to summarize what he was feeling and yet failing miserably. Looking back at Leila, the young man said, "If he's a gentleman as you say he is, then I'm happy for you."

"He is, thank you," Leila replied. "And from our interactions thus far, I think we have the makings of a close friendship."

"I think he's a bit conflicted in regard to my sister," Zahra whispered into Jace's ear. Having spoken with her fiancé about his younger brother, Jace had explained some of the struggle the teen was experiencing in regard to fitting in with their family.

"Me too; Ben is honorable. He just wants to make sure she's alright before he moves on," he acknowledged.

"I need two able bodies to set the dining room table," Anen announced, none to quietly. "And since most of you are guests, that leaves," she smiled and pointed to the Abrams brothers. "you three."

"But you said you only need two," Ty replied.

"And since it is Obi-Wan's birthday, you and Jace get to help," Anen reasoned.

"C'mon runt, Samara and I will help," Zahra surmised.

X

The remaining young ones gathered in the expansive living area with the adults while Anen and the other four youngsters set the table for last meal. Since the dining area (just to the back of the kitchen) housed a much larger table for occasions such as this, Anen traveled back and forth, placing the food dishes just so while Jace and Zahra set out the plates with utensils and napkins, and Ty and Samara set the glasses at the top right of each place setting.

In the other room, Rayfe walked over to stand behind his son, placing a hand on each of the boy's shoulders. Gesturing toward the company they had invited over, he made introductions, "Son, I'd like to formally introduce you to Alys and Trae Mulan, your aunt and uncle."

Being the center of attention was the last thing the padawan wanted; he glanced at his master for help but the Jedi offered him no solace. Remembering his manners, Obi-Wan offered a slight nod of his head in greeting. "It's nice to officially meet you," he said. He quickly glanced at Garen out of the corner of his eye when his cousin moved over to stand at his side.

"Since introductions are being made," Garen said. "Perhaps you would like to introduce me to my aunt and uncle." The padawan looked pointedly at the Mulans, as if to dare them to deny the charge.

Taken back by the teen's announcement, Alys replied, "You know?"

"I recently found out," Garen admitted. Looking back and forth between his birth parents, he asked, "All this time, why did you never say anything?"

"It wasn't permitted," his father explained. "The only reason we've had any contact with you at all is because of your mentor. Clee was very gracious in allowing contact with the stipulation that we didn't reveal the truth, at least, not until you were Knighted."

"We were willing to follow the rules if it meant that we could see you from time to time," Alys concluded.

The family and other guests quietly observed the small family reunion playing out before them.

"Garen," Alys stepped forward to stand in front of her son. "You have nothing to worry about. When your father and I learned of your midichlorian count, we were devastated at the thought of giving you up. But as you grew, we grew to understand that your happiness would lie in learning how to use your gift. Master Clee was very instrumental in explaining to us the frustrations you would encounter as you got older if you didn't receive training. It was she, along with another who came to see us shortly after you were born. But it wasn't until after your first birthday that we voluntarily gave you to the Jedi, hoping it was the right decision."

She placed a hand on either side of the teen's face. When he made no move to resist her touch, she continued, "Having spent time with you all these years, even if just a few minutes here and there, we were reassured each time we saw you that we had made the right choice." She hugged him for the first time since she had handed him over to the Jedi. Holding tightly to her son, she whispered, "You have always been and always will be loved. Never doubt that."

Garen's posture stiffened in his mother's arms. He was just about to step back and break the contact when a brush against his shields, from his cousin, had him relaxing into the embrace. Uncertainly and somewhat awkwardly, his own arms came up to encircle his mother. A slight breeze wafted through the house from the open patio doors, blowing gently around them.

Catching a scent that was both familiar and smelled of a home he had long forgotten, Garen buried his face in the crook of Alys' neck and shoulder. A memory of this woman and her husband trying to teach their one year old how to take his first steps entered his mind. The recollection was short, just a quick snapshot, but it helped complete the bridge the Mulans had been figuratively building over the last years.

Alys pulled back as Trae came to stand beside his wife and son. Placing a hand on Garen's shoulder, he smiled, his eyes just a slight more moist than they should have been. "We're proud of the man you are becoming."

Garen ducked his head in embarrassment when he realized the attention they were getting from the others in the room. He hadn't meant to cause a scene. He had been observing his friend over the last few months, wondering what it would be like to know his own parents. He had known who they were due to Obi-Wan's need to bring him into the fold but until now, he hadn't confronted them on the matter.

Trae gestured to his brother and sister-in-law. "Garen, this is Rayfe and Nyla Abrams, your aunt and uncle on your mother's side."

The padawan smiled. "I've uh…." He looked at Obi-Wan who smirked back. "I've kind of used the nephew card to spend time with Obi-Wan here," he waved a thumb in his colleague's direction. "Being that he couldn't have contact with the Jedi, it was the only way at the time I could get my foot in the door," he admitted.

Rayfe grinned at the boys. "And it worked, too," he said.

"Wait," Quinlan interrupted. "You two are related and you didn't say anything?"

Obi-Wan and Garen glanced at each other before turning toward their friend.

"Quin, it wasn't that we were trying to keep it from anyone it just wasn't the time to say anything," Garen explained.

"But that's how you knew you could get him to the party," Quin surmised. Garen's comments during the planning process suddenly made sense. "And I bet you told Siri and Bant, right? Does Reeft know?"

"No, they don't know. We haven't said anything," Obi-Wan replied.

Garen scratched the back of his head a moment before meeting his friend's gaze. "That's not quite true," he said with some hesitation. "I uh, sort of told Bant." When the other two looked at him, he hurriedly continued, "Siri and Reeft are as in the dark as you were," he told Quin.

Qui-Gon placed a hand over his mouth to hide the grin he could no longer suppress. The situations his padawan and the teen's friends got themselves into never ceased to amuse him. Sitting back in his chair, he was content to observe.

"We're sorry, Quin. But we were somewhat coming to terms with it ourselves," Obi-Wan explained.

"Understand?" Garen asked.

Quin nodded. "I guess." His friends had had a lot to deal with and were still adjusting to all they had learned and in Obi-Wan's case, all he was still learning.

Once the teens were finished explaining their positions to their friend, Rayfe introduced the Heflers. "Obi-Wan, this is Yosef and Oksana Hefler." Pointing to two of their children he said, "I know you've all spoken earlier, but this is Taj, the oldest and the only son and this is Leila, their second born daughter and your former intended. And Zahra and Samara are currently helping Anen, Jace and Ty with setting the table."

Obi-Wan glanced at each of them, "I'm glad to meet you."

Yosef offered his hand to the teen. "We're glad you're home, Ben. As close friends of your family, we can honestly say that it was as if a piece of our own had been missing all this time."

Obi-Wan tentatively accepted the man's hand in a firm handshake, forcing a smile to his lips. "Thank you, sir."

Oksana stepped forward and hugged the teen. "I'm so glad you're all right, young one. We worried for you for so long."

Anen and the youngsters came to stand just inside the room, having finished setting the table. When Oksana stepped back, holding Obi-Wan at arm's length, Anen announced that last meal was ready. Falling back to the end of the crowd now heading toward the dining area, Obi-Wan grasped Anen's elbow to hold her back, waiting until they were semi alone before asking, "An, is there anything I should know about Mr. Hefler?"

Puzzled, she shook her head 'no.' "Such as?"

"Never mind, it's probably nothing." He motioned toward the dining room. "Shall we?"

Brow furrowing, Anen slowly walked to the supper table. Looking at the young man at her side, she asked, "What is it that's bothering you?"

He shrugged one shoulder. "I'm not sure," he admitted. Entering the room, he walked over and pulled Anen's chair out for her before sitting down himself. He couldn't help but notice that his master's attention was now focused solely on him.

Once everyone had taken their seat, Anen began passing the dishes, making sure everyone knew to take their fill. She didn't want to have to store leftovers if it could be helped.

Dinner was a noisy affair with fifteen people sitting around the table talking and laughing. Obi-Wan and Leila caught up as much as they could between the interruptions they kept having to field. Although the padawan was enjoying the company, he was still uneasy, though he couldn't say why.

After a time, he got up and went over to his parents and leaning down, he whispered, "I'm going to step outside for a short time, I need some air."

Concerned, Nyla asked, "Is something wrong?"

Obi-Wan shrugged off her worry. "Too much excitement," he replied.

Not totally convinced, she nonetheless nodded her consent. She brushed the back of her fingers over his right temple, the meaning clear. "Let me know if you need me."

Grasping her hand, he gave it a light squeeze. "I will," he assured her.

The three Jedi watched as Obi-Wan quietly slipped out of the dining room. Sending a pulse through the force toward Mrs. Abrams, he waited until she found his gaze before subtly motioning for her to check on his padawan. He was itching to go himself, but felt that this would be a good opportunity for her to tend to her son.

Nodding her understanding, Nyla excused herself from the gathering.

The mother of three walked the length of the garden to the fountain near the back before finding her son. The youth was staring up at the limited portion of the sky where the stars could be seen beyond the city lights. She approached, silently taking a place by his side. Looking up, she marveled at the sight before her. "It's beautiful," she murmured.

He absently nodded. Taking a deep breath of the cool night air, he said, his voice low, "It's even more beautiful when in hyperspace. Due to the speed the ship is traveling, the stars merge and swirl around the vessel in a vast array of colors. I don't know if it's the lights on the transport that reflect off of them or what, but it's a sight to see."

She walked over to the bench near the small pond and sat down. "When we came to Coruscant we decided it was best if we traveled in a public passenger liner, so we didn't exactly get a chance to see the marvels of space as we would have in a private transport. The viewing deck was usually crowded so instead of pushing our way through, we opted to sightsee on the ship instead."

Obi-Wan watched her a moment and then walked over to sit on the grass at her feet. "Will Leila be alright?"

Looking at her son, she smiled. "She'll be just fine. The arrangement they've made is to a fine family, a good family. She will be treasured." When he looked away a moment, she asked, "What is it?"

"It's just…I'm finding that this situation has affected so many more people than just us or the Jedi. It's affected an innocent girl who had no say in who she was going to marry. "We were attached to one another, I can feel it. And when Taren…. And now, Lei has to start all over."

"And what about you?" Nyla asked.

"I started over the morning I woke up in the Jedi Temple. There was nothing to do but to move forward; it hurt too much to look back," he explained.

Not knowing what to say, Nyla allowed the passing city sounds beyond the walls of the garden to permeate the air between them. They were quiet for some time, each lost in thought.

Obi-Wan swallowed with difficulty as Siri's words once again circled around his thoughts. Looking up at the woman who looked back at him with nothing but motherly love in her eyes, he said, "I was wrong when I said it was your fault." He shook his head. "It wasn't. You could no more have stopped Taren than I could have. It was my fault for going with her in the first place. I could have said 'no,' but I didn't. I knew something wasn't right, but I chose to go anyway. I'm so sorry." He lowered his eyes to look at the grass between them, picking at it with one hand. "It wasn't you I was angry at; I was angry with myself. You were just a convenient target. There are so many different choices I could have made…."

With tears in her eyes, Nyla took one hand and lifted his chin until their eyes met. "You were two and half years old. The choices you see now are not ones that you would have thought about at such a tender age. There was a feeling of wrongness, a feeling you weren't sure of what to do with. You trusted Taren, little one. We all did. You trusted that she would take care of you as she had all the times before. You did nothing wrong, you are not to blame. Taren and the people she was working for are the ones to blame. Turning it back on me, the action I could have taken in the midst of it was not something I had thought of when it took place. It wasn't until after that I realized all the things I should have done."

"It's true, isn't it, that you searched for me every day I was gone?" he asked, a childlike hope that what they had been telling him these last months was indeed the truth. "You never gave up on me?"

She nodded, and placing a hand on each side of the youth's face, she declared, "I would have never given up until we found you, one way or the other."

The young man lowered his eyes when he felt the moisture in them building. Blinking rapidly, he accosted the approaching tears before once again meeting her gaze. He hadn't spoken of his time with Taren other than to tell of his leaving with her and how she had had to gain employment in order for them to gain shelter and food once they had reached the capital city.

"We had been on Coruscant for a while when I realized I had forgotten what you looked like," he admitted. "I could recall the perfume you wore and the sound of your voice, but your features were all but gone. I remember thinking that if I could forget what you looked like…then you could forget me too." He half smiled. "You had an unfair advantage though; you had depictions whereas all I had were fading memories."

Nyla smoothed the teen's hair back before replying, "Images eventually fade; no one is immune to that fact. But what matters are the feelings attached to those images and the fragrances that bring it back to memory when we least expect it. You didn't lose that and in essence, you didn't lose us. You've kept us with you your whole life, you just didn't know it."

She paused a moment and then said, "Anen told me about your first meeting with her when you came to live with us. You remembered the song she had always sung to you. A tune you told her had always been with you even though you had forgotten where you originally heard it. That is until you heard her sing it. You never forgot, son, you just temporarily misplaced those memories. All of which you are finding again, slowly, but surely."

The image of Garen wrapped in his mother's arms came to the youth's mind. Without thinking, he leaned forward and embraced her. Her arms immediately came up to wrap him in the security he had known as a child. Burying his face in her neck, he took a deep shuddered breath. Wrapped in her arms, he felt safe. The same feeling he had felt every time Anen held him after a bad dream. "I love you, mama," he said, not completely conscious of what he was saying, only aware that somewhere deep within him, there was a little boy who needed her to know. A little boy who had suddenly realized that his mother was here and she had brought him home.

"I love you too, little one," she replied, tightening her hold around him. "I promise I'll never let you go again."

A chuckle caused the body in her arms to shake slightly as he said, "If you keep that promise we'll be stuck this way."

Genuine laughter escaped her lips. "Then perhaps I should adjust that vow." She started to pull back so she could see his eyes but his hold tightened, keeping her in place. "I promise I will always find you…somehow, someway."

He pulled back, a slight frown on his face and a somewhat distant look in his eyes before focusing on her once again. "That's a promise I'm going to hold you to."

"Will you show me how to meditate?" Nyla asked. "Master Jinn thought it would be good for both of us if you taught me."

The young man smiled and moved back, motioning for her to sit on the grass across from him. When she made herself comfortable, he repeated the words his master had so often repeated to him. "Close your eyes…."


Thanks so much for reading! :)