This final chapter is dedicated to FloatingFoxtrot, the best beta reader ever, and to all of you who left bookmarks, kudos, and comments. Thank you so much!

"Everything will be all right in the end. If it's not all right, it's not the end."

— Unknown

One year and three months after the end of the Clone Wars.

Most training salles in the Temple were already occupied, but Obi-Wan managed to find a small one that was still empty. He wasn't going to need much space, anyway.

It had taken him a very long time, but he finally recovered enough to do some lightsaber training again. He would probably need to change his fighting style to something more conservative—to put more power in his blocks and focus a bit more on the Force rather than speed and agility—but it was thousand times better than not being able to fight at all.

Obi-Wan activated one of those floating training remotes the Initiates used for practice, tossed it high in the air, and ignited his lightsaber.

It was a bit pathetic, to practice against something as easy as that. But he had to start somewhere, after all.

One year and four months after the end of the Clone Wars.

"We can switch if you want," Anakin said to Obi-Wan who was sitting on the floor of Anakin's quarters, playing with Luke and Leia. "Go take a break, Master. You've been playing with them for over two hours."

"Oh, no, it's all right. I find it quite enjoyable, actually."

Anakin smiled. "You have the patience of a saint."

"I know. I wouldn't have survived training you if I didn't."

Anakin rolled his eyes. Of course. It wouldn't be Obi-Wan if he didn't snark at him all the time.

You would have been a great father, Anakin thought sadly. If things had gone differently. If Satine was still alive.

But there was no point in wondering about what could have been. How things would have gone if Satine was still alive. Or Padme, Shmi, or Qui-Gon. It would only bring pain, nothing more.

But they owed it to their memories to do their best with their lives. To make sure life went on, no matter how great their losses.

Life wasn't perfect, of course. Nothing ever was. But as Anakin looked at the sunlit living room, the toys scattered across the floor, and his former Master playing with Anakin's children, with a wide smile on his face…

He couldn't deny that things were pretty good.

One year and five months after the end of the Clone Wars.

Anakin was just doing minor repairs on his lightsaber when somebody rang the doorbell. Anakin got up, frowning. It couldn't be Obi-Wan, since he knew the access code to the door.

And then… he sensed it. A presence he hadn't felt in over a year, but one he could recognize anywhere.

He opened the door and… there she was. Dressed in a dark grey Mandalorian outfit, with two blue lightsabers clipped to her belt.

"Ahsoka," Anakin breathed out.

"Hello, Anakin," Ahsoka said, smiling a bit. "It's been a while."

They spent the next few hours just talking about everything that happened since they last met. They spoke regularly over the past year and a half, but only over hologram and never for too long, since Ahsoka was busy.

She had spent the last year and half on Mandalore, helping Bo-Katan fix the mess Maul had wrought during his brief rule. They were making good progress, but there was still a lot of work to be done.

After everything was said, there was a brief, comfortable silence, but Anakin could sense that there was something else. She wouldn't have come all the way to Coruscant just to chat.

"There's something I have to tell you, Master," Ahsoka said finally, playing with her gauntlets nervously and avoiding his eyes.

"Something I've been thinking about for a long time. You were right, that night when I left the Order. It took me a long time to see it, but you were right. Leaving the Order… it was a mistake. The greatest mistake of my life. Helping Lady Bo-Katan with rebuilding Mandalore was rewarding, but… it's not what I was meant to do. It's not where I was meant to be. I have decided to rejoin the Order. If… well, if the Council lets me."

Anakin gave her a small smile. "I think they will. If they allowed me to stay in the Order after everything I've done, I don't think you should have any issues."

Ahsoka sighed, still not meeting his eyes. "And, Anakin… I know that I have no right to ask anything of you. Not after what I did to you. But… I would be very honored if you could take me back as your Padawan. I'll understand if you say no," Ahsoka added quickly. "I abandoned you. Without even saying goodbye. And you probably don't have time now anyway, not with the children and all that. I just wanted to ask. Just in case."

For a few seconds, Anakin was completely stunned, not knowing what to say.

He slowly reached into a drawer and pulled out a small ornate box. There were only four small objects in it; his most precious possessions. The japor snippet necklace he carved for Padme when he was nine and which she often wore until her death, Anakin's old Padawan braid, the Force-sensitive river stone Obi-Wan gave him for his thirteenth birthday, and Ahsoka's Padawan braid, made of thirteen round silka beads.

Anakin carefully removed her braid from the box, his fingers trembling a little. "May I?"

Ahsoka frowned, not understanding what he was asking. "May you… what?"

Anakin smiled. "I mean, may I clip this back on for you? Force, Ahsoka, of course I want you back. Come on, did you really expect me to say no? Do you have any idea how much I missed you?"

Ahsoka stared at him, her eyes wide with surprise. She blinked a few times, suspiciously quickly, as if she was blinking back tears.

"I missed you too, Master," she said quietly.

Then she smiled and turned her head to the left, allowing Anakin to clip her old Padawan braid behind her right head-tail.

One year and seven months after the end of the Clone Wars.

As Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka walked down the Great Hall towards the training salles, they passed a very grumpy looking Mace Windu walking in the opposite direction. Ahsoka gave him a smile and a wave. Master Windu responded with a dirty glare.

Windu had been in a really bad mood for the past week, ever since he had lost his seat on the Council. Anakin couldn't remember the official reason for his expulsion, but he definitely knew the un official one.

He was simply too much of a jerk even by the Council's terrible standards.

Two years after the end of the Clone Wars.

Obi-Wan was sitting in the Room of Thousand Fountains, with his back leaning against the trunk of a large tree. He kept his eyes closed and his legs comfortably stretched out in front of him. It wasn't the usual meditation pose, but his body couldn't really handle that anymore. Sitting on his heels for more than ten minutes always left him with terrible pins and needles for hours.

Obi-Wan let out a resigned sigh and decided to give up for today. He'd been meditating for hours without making a single bit of progress.

But then, just a split second before he opened his eyes and started to get up…

He sensed it. A presence in the Force, just the faintest, tiniest glimpse of it. Faint and blurry, like a half-forgotten memory.

It was a presence he hadn't felt in fifteen years.

"Qui-Gon…?" Obi-Wan whispered, his voice trembling.

For a moment, there was no answer. And then… a voice. No, not quite; it wasn't a sound. It was a thought, a feeling.

I'm here.

That was it; then it was gone. The presence dissolved and drifted apart, like a wisp of smoke in the open air. The tenuous connection broke.

But that was all right. It was all right because every single word Yoda had told him was true. It was all right because he could try this again in a few days, and then again. Perhaps one day, he would learn to sustain the connection long enough to hear an entire sentence, or even two. Perhaps even to say something back.

Obi-Wan opened his eyes, surprised to find that his cheeks were wet with tears. He wiped them away and headed back to his own quarters, smiling.

Three years after the end of the Clone Wars.

The mock duel was brutal, merciless. The two opponents danced around each other, their blades flying through the air almost faster than the eye could follow. Their lightsabers were turned to the lowest setting, so they could only sting, but not cause any harm.

Two small children were watching the duel intently, clapping their small hands in excitement. A tall Togruta was sitting next to them, watching over them.

"Show-off," Ahsoka muttered with a small eye roll, as Anakin made an unnecessary but flashy leap over Obi-Wan's head, producing excited squeals from Luke and Leia.

Anakin immediately regretted doing that, since his former Master immediately used the opening and slashed at his legs while he was still upside-down in the air.

But Obi-Wan intentionally didn't reach his blade far enough, only showing Anakin that he could have won the duel right there and then. If he wanted to, which he didn't. He was toying with him. Kriffing unbelievable.

Anakin wiped his sweaty forehead with his sleeve, gave himself a few seconds to catch his breath, and attacked with a loud war cry.

After several minutes, Anakin managed to push Obi-Wan back and knock his saber out of his hand with a particularly vicious blow. But before he could make the winning strike, Obi-Wan twitched one finger, reaching through the Force to reverse the polarity of the electrodrivers in Anakin's mechanical hand. Durasteel fingers sprang open, and a lightsaber tumbled free.

"Hey! That's cheating!"

"There's no such thing as cheating in a fight."

Anakin gave him his most evil smile. "Very well. I hope you realize that this means war."

Anakin couldn't do the same thing to him—well, he could , but that would be just cruel—so instead he wrapped a thin tendril of Force around his former Master's ankle and pulled. Obi-Wan stumbled, unable to regain his balance quite fast enough—a small, lingering effect of his injuries—and crashed to the ground.

Anakin pulled his lightsaber back to his hand and pointed the blade at Obi-Wan's neck. "I win."

Finally. I lost the last three matches in a row.

"I don't think so." Obi-Wan said with a small smirk, pointing out where his hand was.

Oh, kriff. He was already holding his own saber again, deactivated, but pointed at Anakin's stomach. If it was a real fight, they would both be dead. Tie.

Anakin deactivated his lightsaber and held out his hand to help him get back up. As Obi-Wan climbed back to his feet, there was that small stumble again, barely noticeable.

Ninety-five percent. It was never going to be a hundred.

But even despite that, and despite Anakin being younger, heavier, and physically stronger, his former Master still kept winning their duels with devastating regularity. Some things just never changed.

"You didn't win," Luke whined, disappointed.

"I'll get him this time," Anakin promised. "One more round, Master?"

"Very well."

Obi-Wan activated his lightsaber and stood in his usual opening stance, smirking a little. "Although I'm afraid that you won't win this time, either."

"All right," Obi-Wan said, wiping his sweaty face with his sleeve, after the duel ended in yet another tie. "I think that's enough for today. Everybody gets a quick shower and then we'll get some lunch. Sounds good?"

"I agree," Anakin mumbled as he took a few large gulps from a drinking fountain and splashed some of the blissfully cool water on his face. "I'm starving. What's for lunch in the cafeteria today?"

"Nerf ribs, Adegan eels, and pickled giant Ithorian snails for us carnivores," Ahsoka said. Since Togrutas were an exclusively carnivorous species, she ate different food than the rest of them. "For you lowly humans, I think it's fried mynock wings with mashed tuber roots and meiloorun jelly."

Anakin pulled a face. "That sounds disgusting. Can't we go to Dex's, at least this one time?"

"That's disgusting," Luke repeated excitedly.

" You're disgusting," Leia spat back, sticking out her tongue at him.

Obi-Wan let out an exasperated sigh. "Good job, Anakin."

"Says the person who stubbed his toe yesterday and said a curse that would've made even a Hutt blush."

Ahsoka regarded them with her arms folded and her head tilted to the side, smirking with amusement. "I'm so glad that Jedi aren't allowed to have children, Master. I mean, they're extremely cute for a few hours, but I can't imagine having to do this full-time."

Anakin looked thoughtful. "Who knows. They did make an exception for me. Maybe one day, it will change for all of us."

Yes, Obi-Wan thought. And maybe it should.

Because, in the end, attachment, friendship, love, family… it didn't cause Anakin to fall to the Dark Side. If anything, it saved him from it.

It was the reason Anakin came to Obi-Wan for advice when he started having visions about his wife's death, and it was the reason Obi-Wan refused to go to Utapau, even when the Council urged him to. It was the reason Obi-Wan himself was still alive. And it was the reason Anakin had two wonderful children, who were as kind and powerful as their father and as beautiful and fierce as their mother.

Because, in the end, if the attachment the Code vilified so much could make all of those things happen…

Then how could it possibly be bad?

Four years after the end of the Clone Wars.

The Council Chamber was almost completely dark, illuminated only by twelve ignited lightsabers of the Council members.

"Step forward, Padawan."

As Ahsoka knelt before Master Yoda, he lowered his green blade above her right shoulder, then above her left, then her right again.

"Ahsoka Tano. By the right of the Council, by the will of the Force… dub thee I do, Jedi Knight of the Republic."

After Master Yoda said the final words of the ancient proclamation, he cut off her Padawan braid with his lightsaber.

Four years and two months after the end of the Clone Wars.

The cruisers were fully loaded and ready to depart, just waiting for Ahsoka, Rex, and Cody to board. Both Commanders had their helmets painted orange and white, reminiscent of the white markings on their General's forehead.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us, Master?" Ahsoka asked jokingly. "After all, this whole operation was your idea."

She used the honorific not as a Padawan addressing her teacher, but as a Knight addressing a Jedi Master, which was what Anakin became when she was Knighted. Not that it really changed much. It was only a title, nothing more.

Anakin smiled. "I told you, it wasn't just mine. And I'm afraid that Luke and Leia wouldn't forgive me if I was gone for that long."

His expression turned serious. "Please be careful, Ahsoka. And remember, if you need reinforcements, just call immediately. Obi-Wan or I can get there in less than two days."

Ahsoka chuckled. "Don't worry, Master. I defeated Maul when I was a Padawan. A bunch of fat Hutts are not going to be a problem."

Ahsoka, Cody and Rex boarded the lead cruiser and the fleet lifted off into the air, heading towards Tatooine.

Seven years after the end of the Clone Wars.

Anakin finished checking Luke's homework for today, and moved on to Leia's. He sighed, scratching his forehead with his stylus. He didn't remember having this much homework as a Padawan.

Luke and Leia weren't home at the moment; they were in the training salle, sparring with Ahsoka. The twins were seven now. In just a few years, they would be old enough to become Padawans, although he and Obi-Wan still hadn't decided who was going to train whom. After Anakin jokingly suggested using rock paper scissors, Obi-Wan's horrified look had him laughing hysterically for minutes.

Anakin's comlink rang. Speak of the devil…

"Anakin, could you please meet me in the Council Room as soon as you can?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Sure." Anakin frowned, a bit unnerved by the vague wording. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. Relax."

Ten minutes later, Anakin found Obi-Wan sitting in his chair in the Council chamber, looking thoughtful. The other seats were empty. The other Council members had already left for the day.

"So, what's the big rush?" Anakin asked, plopping down into the empty seat next to him.

"Master Yoda resigned from the Council today. He said that he was too old to lead the Order anymore. He decided to spend the last decades of his life teaching the youngest members of the Order."

"Huh," Anakin mumbled, genuinely surprised. "I'll have to admit that he didn't see that coming. So who's going to be the Grandmaster now?"

It took Anakin several seconds to realize that Obi-Wan didn't answer, only smiled a little. It also took him as long to realize that his former Master wouldn't call him here just to tell him about Yoda's resignation.

" You ?" Anakin breathed out, the biggest smile spreading across his face. "Yoda chose you as his successor? Really?"

Obi-Wan chuckled. "Really. Trust me, I'm as surprised as you are."

"Wow. Just wow. That's… that's amazing. Congratulations…"

"Thank you."

"So," Anakin said thoughtfully. "As the Grandmaster, you can suggest to change the rules now. Theoretically, if at least five other Council members agreed, you could even repeal the rule against marrying and having children."

"True," Obi-Wan admitted. "But I'm not going to."

"What? Why not?" Anakin asked, disappointed. And then he guessed it. "Because… you've already done it , haven't you?"

Obi-Wan chuckled. "Of course I've already done it. The voting was very close, but the rule change passed. A few thousands of years late, in my opinion, but better late than never."

Anakin's head was spinning as he slowly began to fully realize the sheer enormity of what just happened. This… this was going to change everything .

"Come on," Anakin said, smirking. "I think that deserves a celebration. With the twins and Ahsoka as well, of course. Dex's?"

Obi-Wan smiled. "That's what I was thinking."

He stood up, stumbling a little. Anakin quickly jumped forward and caught him before he fell. He slipped his arms under Obi-Wan's shoulders, supporting most of his weight.

"I'm all right," Obi-Wan mumbled. "My legs just fell asleep a bit. I've been sitting down for too long. Just give me a minute."

They stood completely still for a few minutes, watching the lights of thousands of passing vehicles slowly move across the darkening sky. At last, Obi-Wan slowly released his death-grip on Anakin's shoulders and took a shaky step back.

"Better?"

"Yes. Thank you." Obi-Wan stomped his feet against the floor to encourage the final few nerve endings to wake up again, and gave his former Padawan a small, rueful smile. "Sorry. I'm all right now. You know how it is. Ninety-five percent."

"I know." Anakin's smile faded for a moment, but then it was back. "Come on. The twins and Ahsoka should be in the main training salle, I think. Let's go pick them up."

They walked out of the room side by side, shutting the lights off behind them.

The end! Holy crap, what a journey this was for me. Thank you so much for all of your faves, follows and amazing comments. Especially the comments. They were the best part.

The "reaching through the Force to reverse the polarity of the electrodrivers in Anakin's mechanical hand" part was borrowed straight from the ROTS novel by Matthew Stover. Obi-Wan did it to both Anakin and Grievous in the book. I also kind of borrowed a sentence from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (the movie), Mockingjay (the book) and The Amber Spyglass. If you're a fan, you can try and spot them :)

Also, that part when Obi-Wan slashes at Anakin's legs during their practice duel… reminds you of something :)? (*cough* Mustafar *cough*)