It's finally Iyla's Lifeday! It's her first party ever and she's in for a major treat as the vod'e go all out. Lots of fun and laughter, plus some angsty and conflicted Papa Obi-Wan, and Anakin being a good bro. Hope you enjoy!

*answer to guest reviewer: I'm sorry! I haven't written the story where Iyla goes back in time. I don't plan to make it a whole story because I'm not that creative, but I plan to include some of it in a group of one-shots and drabbles once I finish this story. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Chapter 21: Lifeday

"I'm fouw years old today, Papa!" Iyla excitedly told Obi-Wan. It would have been cute if it wasn't the 12th time she'd said it that morning. But he found he couldn't really be too annoyed about it.

Iyla woke with the sun of course, but that was to be expected. He couldn't exactly blame her for being excited for the day. It was her first ever lifeday party and her first lifeday with a real family. He figured he could make allowances for early mornings and repetitious reminders of what day it was and how old she was.

Getting Iyla to sit still and eat breakfast was a challenge. Well, getting her to sit still and do anything was a challenge. Obi-Wan had made her lifeday pancakes, which probably wasn't the best option, actually. There was definitely some extensive after breakfast clean-up of sticky tables and syrup covered hands, cheeks, and tunics. Thank the Force he had the foresight to tie back her hair or else the clean up would have taken twice as long.

After breakfast, they ventured to the Room of a Thousand Fountains and Obi-Wan let Iyla roam around the flowers and plants, one of her favorite things to do. He shook his head in fond amusement every time she'd stop and tell a Master or a Knight that it was her lifeday and that she was four years old now. Thankfully they all seemed charmed and smiled kindly as they wished her a Happy Lifeday. One of those Masters was Master Yoda whose ears twitched in amusement as Iyla regaled him with plans for the day and her upcoming party with her family. The two sat together under a tree as Iyla talked animatedly.

"Very special, today is," Master Yoda agreed, nodding his head at the girl. "Enjoyable, your party will be."

"You wanna come, Masser Yoba?" Iyla asked. "We gonna have lotsa cool fings and yummy food. And cake! You like cake?"

Yoda nodded his head and gave her a smile. "Yes, young Iyla. I do. Sad I am to tell you, however, that your party, I cannot attend."

Iyla looked disappointed but nodded her acceptance.

"A lifeday present I can give you, though," he continued.

"A pwesent?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes, yes. Heard I did, that flowers you enjoy."

"Yes, Masser Yoba."

"A very special flower there is that grows on a planet called Mandalore. Heard of Mandalore, you have?"

Iyla nodded at him quickly, eyes wide in anticipation. "Mama from Manlowe."

"Indeed," Yoda nodded. "Mandalorian flower I have in my quarters. Growing in a pot, it is. Needs much care and attention. Trust you, can I, young Iyla, to take care of it?"

"Oh, yes, yes, Masser Yoba! I take vewy good care a Mama's fower! I pwomise!" Iyla replied, bouncing where she sat.

Yoda gave her a fond smile and chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Very good, little one. Give it to your father soon, I will." The small Master looked at Obi-Wan and gave him a smile as well.

"Fank you, Masser Yoba!" Iyla exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the little green Master's neck in a hug.

Obi-Wan nodded back at him and bowed in thanks, his throat not quite cooperating enough to give a verbal answer and eyes not quite dry enough to face his great grandmaster completely. He sent gratitude to Yoda through the Force and the Master bowed his head in acknowledgement.

As Yoda was helping Iyla practice her Force skills on some leaves and rocks, Obi-Wan's comm went off. Padme and Ahsoka were calling to inform him that they were heading to his quarters to help Iyla get ready for the party. He called out to Iyla that it was time to head back. With a big wave and a toothy smile to Master Yoda, Iyla ran to take his hand and they left the garden.

Once back at their quarters, Obi-Wan left Iyla in Padme and Ahsoka's capable hands while he headed over to the crèche. Iyla had asked if her friends could attend the party and Obi-Wan had promised he'd ask Master Alann if it was alright. Iyla didn't know that Master Alann had given permission for Shona, Flynn, and Nari to go to the party and Obi-Wan wanted it to be a surprise. It had taken some convincing for Master Alann to agree. He was fiercely protective of his younglings after all. It's not that Obi-Wan was untrustworthy, he was just cautious of any of his little ones being taken out of the temple. The party was off-site in a Senate building conference room that Padme had rented out after Bail Organa, the head of the Senate, had enthusiastically given his permission. Obi-Wan used his Negotiator skills and told Master Alann that three less children to look after for a few hours would put less of a strain on him and Master Terrol. Plus, they'd most likely be worn out and go straight to bed when they got back. This ultimately is what convinced the Crèche Master. Putting the children to bed was a chore and having it already done for him would be a wonderful respite. In the end, Master Alann trusted Obi-Wan and Masters Koon and Fisto with the care and transport of the three younglings. Obi-Wan was now headed over to work out schedules and times for check out and transport when the time came.

Obi-Wan returned to his quarters to check on the girls but was quickly ushered out and told that Iyla wanted to have her dress be a surprise for her father. Obi-Wan obeyed for fear of inciting the wrath of a pregnant Padme and an equally fierce Ahsoka, but he was now left with nothing to do. He decided to seek out Anakin.

The party wasn't for another two hours and Padme had assured him they would see to it that Iyla was fed and dressed and that he didn't need to worry about anything because they had it covered. Part of him was a bit miffed that they didn't think him capable of caring for his own daughter, but he also realized that that wasn't the point of this. The point was to allow Iyla to bond with the women in her life and have fun being treated to some pampering. Pampering was not in Obi-Wan's skills set and he wasn't going to pretend to be knowledgeable about it. It was definitely for the best that Padme and Ahsoka were assisting Iyla and not himself. He'd only just learned how to tie her hair back in some semblance of a ponytail after all.

He found Anakin in his quarters and was relieved that he was finally given something to do. Anakin had received some decorations from Rex that needed to be set up before bringing them to the conference room for the party. Obi-Wan assisted Anakin in fixing up the decorations and the two made small talk as they worked. They finished quickly and, after loading them into Anakin's surprisingly roomy airspeeder trunk, had time for some tea and lunch also.

Forty-five minutes before the party was set to start, Anakin bid Obi-Wan goodbye and set off the to the Senate district to deliver the decorations and help the vod'e finish setting everything up. Obi-Wan went to go find Plo and Kit who were going to help him transport Shona, Flynn, and Nari to the party. Padme and Ahsoka had told him they would bring Iyla themselves by airtaxi so he would be free to check out the younglings for the afternoon. He met up with the two Masters at the crèche and soon three very excited and energetic little ones were left in their care.

"I've never been to a party afore! I'm so esited!" Shona said as she held Obi-Wan's hand and followed him to the temple hangar bay.

"Iyla said there's gonna be cake! Do we get to have some cake, Master Nobi?" Flynn asked from his position at Plo's side, clearly focusing on the most important part.

"Yes, Flynn," Obi-Wan answered. "We will all get to have some cake."

"Wow! That must be a supew giant cake!" Nari spoke up from Kit's arms.

"I bet Iyla gets first piece though," Flynn said. "It's her lifeday so she gots ta go first." Shona and Nari nodded their agreement and the three Masters exchanged amused looks.

Once in the hangar bay, each Master set off with their respective youngling to a borrowed temple airspeeder. Obi-Wan took Shona while Plo had Flynn and Kit had Nari. None of the children had ever been in an airspeeder before so the trip to the party proved to be just as exciting as attending the party.

They all parked outside the building and took the lift up to the conference rooms. Immediately they were greeted by Fives who had a dopey look on his face, clearly trying to hide his excitement because he was a seasoned veteran of the war and war veterans did not get giddy over a 4-year-old's lifeday party. No matter that all six of them, children included, didn't believe his mask for a second.

Fives led them to the party room and Obi-Wan stopped in shock. The vod'e really went all out. His modest Jedi ideals that frowned upon excessiveness and flashy things wanted to say it was too much, but seeing the look in the three youngling's eyes changed his mind. Iyla was sure to have the same look on her face and he found himself wanting to see her excitement and joy at the sight of all they had done for her. His Jedi ideals could take a hike for the day. It was his little light's lifeday and her happiness was all that mattered.

Anakin's comm went off and he announced that Padme and Ahsoka were on their way with Iyla. The room buzzed with anticipation and Anakin had his holocamera ready to capture the little girl's first reaction to seeing the brightly decorated room full of snacks, Dex's burgers and brownies, wrapped presents, a large cake, and a small area where games were set up, which were now being fiddled with by Fives, Waxer, and Echo. Another comm signified that the trio had entered the building and Rex and Cody headed out to greet them and show them to the room.

A small gasp and a "Wow!" could be heard just as the door opened. Iyla stood frozen in the doorway with an open mouth and wide eyes roaming every inch of the room with unbridled awe and buzzing excitement. She seemed too overcome with shock to speak so Ahsoka knelt down beside her.

"Do you like it, Iyla?" she asked.

Iyla nodded silently, mouth still open before she finally found her voice. "Yes! It's the most bootiful and wunnerful fing I ever sawed!" she said breathlessly.

The room broke out in laughter which seemed to snap Iyla out of her trance. She broke into a huge smile as she spotted her friends and family standing by the wall. She squealed and ran to Obi-Wan.

"Papa!" she exclaimed as she bounced in place next to him. "This is the most bestest pawty in the whole tire world!"

Obi-Wan laughed. "I think so too, dear one. We owe a lot of thanks to the vod'e for their hard work, don't we?"

"Yes, yes! They the best vod'e evew!" she looked over at the group of clones and gave them a dazzling smile. "Fank you for making me a pawty! This is the most mazing lifeday I evew had and I wuv it!"

All the vod'e blushed a bit and grinned widely at her. "You're welcome, vod'ika," Cody spoke up for the group. "We're glad you like it."

Iyal turned to Obi-Wan. "D'ya like my pwetty dwess, Papa? Atie Pamay and Soka helped me find it. It gots fowers on it and I gots a fower cown too! Masser Koom maked it for me for my lifeday so I could wear it for my pawty! It looks nice, right?" she asked, standing still and straight for him to see.

Obi-Wan took in the periwinkle dress with white and pink accents and flowers and the crown of fresh daisies sitting delicately on top of her strawberry blonde curls, meticulously tamed and styled by Padme and Ahsoka. Obi-Wan thought she made the most beautiful little lifeday princess ever.

"You look beautiful, my darling. Like a true princess," he said softly, brushing an errant curl from her face.

He was rewarded with a wide and blinding smile that looked so Satine that it brought a pain to his chest. For all of his features that Iyla had inherited, the blue eyes, unruly hair, and rosy cheeks, her best feature, her smile, was completely her mother's. It was his favorite thing to see every morning when he woke up and every evening when he came to get her from the crèche after a long day of meetings and work. It was like seeing a little piece of Satine every time she smiled and he had vowed from the first time he saw it, that he would do everything he could to make her smile as often as possible. He kissed her on her forehead, eliciting a cheerful giggle, and sent her on her way to greet her other guests.

Obi-Wan stood up and watched as she bounced around to each person in the room like a little ball of endless energy and light, each time brandishing her mother's smile at them. The pain in his chest wasn't letting up though and he found that he couldn't swallow over the growing lump in his throat and the shaky exhalations were making it difficult to catch his breath. What was going on? Why was he so sad? This was a happy day. He shouldn't be feeling this way. His body wasn't listening to his brain though and he couldn't quite shake the quiet mantra in his head that kept chanting Satine should be here over and over again. He winced at the words even though they were soft and his forehead scrunched up.

"Master…?" Anakin asked from beside him, sounding concerned.

Obi-Wan blinked out of his haze and turned to look at Anakin who was looking back at him curiously.

"Obi-Wan…are you ok?" he asked.

Obi-Wan moved his head in a half nod half shake motion and started for the door. "I'm…fine. I just, uh, need some…air. Not to worry, I'll just…I'll be right back," he stuttered out before practically fleeing the room.

Anakin locked eyes with Padme, who had a sad look on her face, seeming to understand the reason for Obi-Wan's odd behavior and inclined her head to the door, indicating that Anakin should follow him. He sent a quick look to Iyla who was being entertained by Ahsoka and Rex and thankfully oblivious to her father's absence, then left to pursue his Master.

He found him slumped against a pillar a few door down with both hands covering his face. Anakin approached slowly and carefully, but practically ran to his side when Obi-Wan sank back against the wall and slid to the ground, hands moving to his hair and elbows on his bent knees.

"Obi-Wan!" he said in a panic. "What's wrong? Are you ok? Are you hurt? Are you in pain?"

Obi-Wan nodded.

"You're hurt? Where?" Anakin asked, his eyes roaming over the bent form of his Master.

Obi-Wan had yet to look up and instead let out a large shuddering breath. "It's not…it's not like that, Anakin. I'm in pain, but I'm not hurt."

"Well, maybe I can help you. Take away the pain a bit until we can figure out what's wrong."

"I know what's wrong. And you can't help. You can't take away the pain as much as I wish you could," Obi-Wan replied.

"Master?" Anakin looked puzzled.

Obi-Wan finally looked up at his former padawan and took his hands from his hair. He was silent for a moment, unsure how to explain his feelings to Anakin. "When…when I saw Iyla in her dress and her flower crown and her bright smile I was…I was overcome by how much she looked like Satine. She…resembled her so much and for a moment I was taken back to the first time I saw Satine smile and my heart…my heart…" Obi-Wan's voice cracked as he trailed off.

Anakin swallowed thickly and scooted closer to sit by his Master, their knees and elbows touching. Obi-Wan smiled gratefully and continued. "Her smile, it was so Satine and I can't help but be…sad. But that's ridiculous. This is supposed to be a happy occasion, and here I am wallowing in the hallway because I can't face my 4-year-old."

"I don't think it's ridiculous," Anakin replied.

Obi-Wan scoffed but didn't argue the point further. "Aay'han," he muttered.

"What?" Anakin asked.

"Aay'han. It's a Mandalorian word. It means 'a bittersweet moment.' That's what today is. It's aay'han."

"Aay'han," Anakin repeated. "It's fitting," he agreed.

"Satine should be here, Anakin. She'd love this, and Iyla deserves more than just an overly emotional and out of his depth father. She deserves a mother. She deserves…"

"She deserves a father who cares for her and loves her more than anything in the galaxy and does the best he can in everything. And that's exactly what she has, Obi-Wan. And she's happy. Yes, in a perfect world Satine would be here and she should be here, but the reality is that she's not here. But Iyla is." Anakin side-eyed Obi-Wan and saw him hanging his head. He kept going. "Satine may not be here Obi-Wan, but she's not gone," he said, putting an arm around his shoulder. He felt his Master tense up a bit before relaxing into the half-embrace.

"Yes, I know, there is no death and she's in the Force and the Force is with me," Obi-Wan repeated almost robotically.

"No. I don't mean the Force," Anakin replied.

This got his Master's attention and he gave him a confused look.

"I mean, she's never really gone as long as you have Iyla. She's a little piece of Satine that you get to see everyday and love just as much as you did her mother. Satine lives on in your daughter, Obi-Wan, and as long as you have Iyla, you'll always have her as well."

Obi-Wan didn't even know when he'd started to tear up but he realized he could barely see Anakin's face anymore. He blinked quickly to get rid of the moisture and looked away from him. Anakin gave him space and time to compose himself but never got up from his position next to him on the floor. A loud sniff and a throat clearing signified that Obi-Wan was composed and Anakin felt a hand squeeze his knee.

"Thank you, Anakin. I don't…I…just, thank you," he said.

Anakin smiled crookedly at him and bumped his knee affectionately against Obi-Wan's.

"You ready to go back in there, old man?" he quipped.

"I'm hardly old, Anakin," Obi-Wan shot back and rolled his eyes. He stood up from his crouched sitting position with a slight groan that he quickly tried to hide. Anakin's booming laughter told him he wasn't very successful.

"You were saying?" the younger Jedi smirked.

"Oh, shut up, brat," Obi-Wan replied affectionately shoving him into a wall as they walked back to the party.

Obi-Wan was pleased to see that the party hadn't faltered in his absence. The guests were all talking amiably and snacking on the various foods set out on the tables and the number of burgers and brownies had decreased. The vod'e had set up a game which looked like it involved blindfolds and stickers on the wall as well as an activity that involved throwing balls into a hole in a piece of wood. Obi-Wan stood and observed it all with a smile, letting the childish laughter and pure joy and happiness wash over him and heal his hurting spirit.

He smirked at a very concentrated Kit who was trying to get his ball into the small wooden hole and failing multiple times before using the Force to float it in. He chuckled under his breath when he saw Plo grab the remaining balls from him and admonish him for cheating before telling him to step aside. Plo's attempts weren't much better and soon he was floating the balls in as well as Kit looked on and protested the injustice. Shona stood beside them the whole time with a look of wonder and amusement then started laughing when Kit "accidentally" floated a ball right into the side of Plo's head. Obi-Wan smiled and shook his head at his friends before walking off to find his little lifeday princess.

"Papa!" he heard a voice say from across the room. He spotted the white and pink flowered head among the tables snacking on some fruit and brownies as she sat next to Rex, Cody, Echo, and Ahsoka.

"Hello, darling," he said, taking a seat next to her when Cody scooted over. "Are you enjoying your party?"

"Yes, Papa! I played wif games wif the vod'e and had some yummy snacks and Misser Dex's nerdburdgers and bownies. And I beated Boil and Wasser and Kiss at the ball game and putted my tail sticker on the banfa closer than Nari and Flynn! Cap'n Wex sticked his on the banfa's eye!" she giggled and looked at Rex who stuck his tongue out then tried to take her brownie from her plate. Iyla squealed in laughter and stuffed it in her mouth before he could get it.

"You should try the ball game, General," Echo suggested.

"Yeah, give it a try. See if you can show up Generals Koon and Fisto," Cody added.

"Like that will be hard. They couldn't even get one in without using the Force and cheating," Ahsoka smirked. "You have to be better than that Master Obi-Wan."

Ahsoka knew she'd convinced him when she brought in the competition aspect and challenged him to show up his fellow Councilors. He stood determinately and sauntered over to the game, grabbing the balls from the ground and telling the two Masters to "watch how it's done." Both Council members shared a skeptical glance and watched in amusement as Obi-Wan struggled to make at least one ball in the hole. Finally, after many low mutterings of "blast" and "kriff" just quiet enough for the children not to hear but for the adults to pick up on, he got one in. Just one though. But at least it was more than Plo and Kit. He gave them both a smug smile and a raised eyebrow. Both Masters looked unimpressed and walked off to get a drink.

Presents were opened soon after. A wild mess of torn wrapping paper and cardboard pieces littered the ground as Iyla ran around to each person to give them a hug and thank them enthusiastically for their gifts. Obi-Wan was worried about excessive presents that Iyla didn't need, but thankfully most of them had been modest and actually quite useful. Some puzzles and holobooks as well as hair accessories and non-flashy jewelry, a few toys and games, and even some pretty plants and flowers to decorate their quarters with. Iyla loved them all and was just as excited about the plants as she was about the toys, grateful to even be given gifts at all.

Cake was next and everyone gathered around the cake table as Anakin lit the candles and set Iyla up to stand on the bench in front of it. Obi-Wan came to stand next to her and held her around the waist so she wouldn't fall. As everyone sang and wished her a 'Happy Lifeday,' Anakin snapped pictures of her smiling and leaning back against Obi-Wan's stomach while she watched with sparking eyes as the candles burned. He captured the exact moment that Obi-Wan gave her a peck on her cheek and Iyla closed her eyes and smiled a wide open mouthed smile, the candles accenting the warmth between them. Iyla blew out the candles and clapped along with everyone else then immediately started pointing to the piece she wanted. Padme and Ahsoka took over passing out the cake and everyone enjoyed eating their treat and being among friends.

The younglings now had a second boost of energy from the sugar and had taken to running around in a game of chase with Fives, Echo, Waxer, and Boil. Kix watched nervously as the kids and his brothers got faster and more reckless and kept shouting at them to be careful and slow down because he didn't have his medkit with him. The other adults, plus Ahsoka, sat calmly and sipped their drinks as they talked and joked with each other.

After a half hour everything went blessedly silent and they couldn't hear pounding footsteps or high pitched giggles anymore. Obi-Wan frowned and stood up to look around for the noisemakers and had to stifle his laughter and cooing at the same time. Against the wall sat the four vod'e with their laps full of sleepy younglings with messy cake-smeared faces and flushed cheeks. Waxer was quietly reading a holobook from the presents Iyla got while Fives, Boil, and Echo had no choice but to sit and listen since they were trapped by the fading and heavy-lidded children draped over their legs and laps. The sugar high had finally worn off and now they were sinking into an exhausted sleep. Obi-Wan was secretly thrilled that the younglings had passed out. It meant he kept his promise to Master Alann after all. The others, seeing that the children were content and taken care of for the moment, began to gather things up and clean the room to go home.

Boil and Echo shot Rex and Cody pleading looks to rescue them from the drooling little ones but they simply smirked and shook their heads. Fives gave his fellow trapped brothers a look as well.

"Can't risk waking the younglings, vod'e. Might set them off again," he said, looking fondly at the curled up Flynn in his lap.

Boil looked horrified at the idea of more running and screaming and flopped back against the wall with a huff. Finally, after the decorations had been cleared, the snacks and food boxed up, the games organized, and Iyla's presents gathered and put in the trunk of Anakin's air speeder to take to Obi-Wan's quarters for him, it was finally time to rescue the troopers from their snoring child prisons. Kit gathered up Nari and Plo picked up Flynn from a sad looking Fives who frowned when the boy was taken from his lap. Obi-Wan moved to get Shona, since she had ridden with him in his speeder, but was stopped by Anakin who took the girl instead.

"I'll take Shona back to the crèche, Master," he said. "You get your lifeday princess home and in bed."

Obi-Wan thanked him and watched as Padme followed Anakin as well, running a hand over Shona's head and looking lovingly up at her husband. They were going to be wonderful parents, Obi-Wan mused. He turned back to Waxer who was still on the ground with Iyla draped over his chest. Her once tidy hair was messed up from sleep and her flower crown was askew. Waxer looked reluctant to let Obi-Wan take her, but he released her to his arms anyways then stood up. Obi-Wan gave him a shoulder squeeze and mouthed a 'thank you' while Waxer blushed and ducked his head. Similar sentiments were given to the rest of the vod'e with a promise of a comm call from Iyla in the next day or so because she would for sure want to call them all and thank them for such a special party and an unforgettable lifeday.

Ahsoka stood among them and was now yawning as she bid the vod'e goodbye and made for the door. She stopped suddenly when she realized that she didn't have a ride anymore since Padme was going with Anakin and Shona, and she'd come by airtaxi with Iyla and Padme to the party. Her brows furrowed in confusion about what to do when Obi-Wan chuckled from behind her and set a guiding hand on her shoulder.

"You can ride with us, little one," he said, smiling fondly.

Ahsoka gave a half-hearted glare at being referred to as 'little one' at 17, but leaned gratefully against his shoulder as they walked through the hallway to the lift. By the time Obi-Wan had set Iyla up in the backseat with Ahsoka and got into the drivers seat to start the speeder, Ahsoka's head was already bobbing and her eyelids were fluttering. He gave one last look over his shoulder at his exhausted charges and smiled before he set off back to the temple.

Hope you all enjoyed Iyla's lifeday as much as she did. Next up: Papa Obi-Wan deals with a sick little one when Iyla catches the creche's latest bout of flu :(