Meeting Obi-Wan

Obi-Wan smiled softly as Qui-Gon pulled into the driveway, they climbed down from the car and walked to the house.

So what did you tell them?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I just told them that I needed to take care of some errands." Qui-Gon answered as they stood in front of the door.

Obi-Wan chuckled and shook his head. "Are you sure they don't suspect anything?" He asked.

"I'm sure." His father answered. "Ahsoka wanted to come but I told her I was going to do boring things so she decided to stay and do her homework instead." He answered.

Obi-wan laughed softly and opened the door.

"Dad, are you back?" Ahsoka asked from the kitchen.

"Yes, I am. Can you help me with the grocery bags, sweetheart?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Sure." Ahsoka answered and father and son smiled when they heard Ahsoka's footsteps approaching the foyer, however, she froze when she saw the man standing beside her adoptive father.

"Hello, Ahsoka." Obi-Wan said.

"YOU'RE BACK!" The twelve-year old cried and ran forward and enveloped Obi-Wan in a tight hug.

"I missed you." She mumbled into his side.

"I missed you too." Obi-Wan answered as he hugged her.

"Snips?! Are you okay?!" Anakin's voice asked as he came running down the stairs. "I heard yelling and thought…" Anakin's words died on his lips when he saw his older brother had returned home.

"You're finally back!" Anakin said and ran forward to envelope his brother in a tight hug.

As his children hugged, Qui-Gon couldn't help but feel happy to have all his children together again.

"So did you really retire from the Marines?" Anakin asked as they finished dinner.

"Yes, I did." Obi-Wan answered.

"Does that mean you're not leaving anymore?" Ahsoka asked. She and Anakin had missed their brother terribly and they didn't want him to go away again.

"Yes, it does." Obi-Wan answered with a smile.

"Well, what do you plan to do now?" Qui-Gon asked as he and Anakin started to pick-up the dishes.

"I was thinking of visiting some old friends, then, look for a job." Obi-Wan answered.

"That's good." The older man said. "Do you know what kind of job you are going to look for?"

"Well, I was thinking of finishing police training and then, applying to join the Metropolitan Police Department of D.C." Obi-Wan answered.

"Those are great plans, son." Qui-Gon said happily.

"Thank you, dad." The younger man said.

Obi-Wan smiled when he saw Depa in the arrival's lounge, he took his luggage and walked up to her.

"Hello, Depa." He said.

"Hi, Obi-Wan." She said and hugged him. "I'm glad to see you." She said when they broke the hug.

"I'm glad to see you too." He said and started to walk to the parking lot.

"How was your flight?" The dark-haired woman asked.

"It was good." He answered. "So, how have you been?" He asked after a while.

Depa took a deep breath. "There are good and bad days." She said. "Sometimes it's hard to believe it has been four years since…"

"Yes, I know." Obi-Wan said. "I went to visit his grave while I was in Detroit and after all this time…it's still hard." He said with a shaky breath.

"Anyway," He said changing the subject. "How is your father?" He asked, trying to light up the mood.

"He's fine." Depa answered. "He's pretty happy in his phase as a grandfather." She answered with a smile.

"Really?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yes, my sister had her second child a couple of months ago and my father spent a couple of days with her and her family." She said.

"Oh, that's great." He said. "Congratulations."

"Thank you." Depa said.

"And what about your brother?" He asked.

"He's still in college." She said.

"That's good." He said.

They climbed into Depa's pick up and she drove towards the farm.

"Here we are." Depa said as she drove through the front gates of the property.

"Is this your family's farm?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yes, it is." The dark-haired woman answered as she parked her truck in front of the farmhouse. "Welcome to the Windu farm." She said.

They climbed down from the truck and walked to the house, she opened the door and ushered Obi-Wan inside.

"Was this where you grew up?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yes." Depa answered. "My sister and I shared a room until we both were teenagers, then, she moved to the room on the other side of the bathroom."

"Well, I'm glad I didn't go through that. I'm not sure if I could handle Anakin and his mess." He said.

Depa chuckled. "I'm sure you would but you were quite old when Qui-Gon adopted Anakin, weren't you?" She said.

"Yes, I was." He said. "I was seventeen when my father adopted Anakin and he was only five when he came to live with us." He said.

"Well, you were no longer of the age to share a room." Depa said.

"Maybe, even so there were nights when Anakin asked me if he could sleep with me because he had a nightmare and I couldn't say no to him so in a way, I shared a room with him." Obi-Wan said and looked around the living room.

He frowned softly when he saw a photo of Depa hugging a boy no older than six with tan skin, dark brown hair and teal eyes. "Is that your nephew?" He asked, pointing at the photo.

"No, that's Kanan. My son." Depa answered.

"Your son?" Obi-Wan asked confused. "Did you get married again or..?" He asked trailing off.

Depa chuckled. "No, I didn't get married again." She said. "Kanan is my adoptive son."

"Oh."

"Yes. A year and a half before Craig's death we were talking about starting our own family but the doctors told us we couldn't have children so we thought about adopting a child." She said. "I met Kanan a couple of months later when I answered the call of a home invasion. His mother was killed during it and Kanan hid in his closet until the morning when I found him."

"Oh, that's awful." Obi-Wan answered. "Did he witnessed his mother's murder?" He asked.

Depa shook her head. "No, he covered his ears when he heard his mother screaming for help, then, he cried himself to sleep and woke up when we burst into the apartment where he and his mother lived." She said.

"And what about his father?" The man asked.

Depa sighed. "No one knows who his father is and his grandparents couldn't take care of him so he was put under the state's custody."

"And you told Craig about him." Obi-Wan said.

She nodded. "Yes and he thought it was a good idea." She said and took a deep breath. "Then, well, you know…things went downhill but six months later, I was able to adopt Kanan."

"Did you ever tell him about Craig?" The man asked.

Depa sighed and shook her head. "No. He never knew his father and I didn't want him to get his hopes up about having a father only to…to tell him the truth about what happened to him." She said.

Before Obi-Wan could say something else, they heard a car pulling in front of the house; a couple of minutes later, a ten-year old boy burst into the house.

"Hi, mom!" He said.

"Hi, Caleb." She said. "Did you have a good day at school?"

He nodded. "Yep, I did!" He said happily.

"That's good." She answered. "Honey, there's someone I want you to meet." She said and turned around.

"Caleb, he is Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obi-Wan, he is my son, Kanan Jarrus."

"It's nice to meet you, young man." Obi-Wan said, extending his hand.

"Nice to meet you too." Kana said and shook hands with the older man. "Are you a friend of my mom?" He asked.

"Yes, I am." Obi-Wan answered.

"That's cool!" Kanan said and the grown-ups laughed.

"Where's your grandpa, sweetheart?" Depa asked.

"Here I am." Mace said as he walked through the door carrying some grocery bags. He put the bags on the kitchen counter and turned to Obi-Wan.

"Hello, Obi-Wan." The older man said.

"Sergeant." The younger man said with a nod.

"Please, Obi-Wan. You know you can call me Mace." Mace said. "We are no longer on duty." He said.

"You were also a Marine like grandpa?" Kanan asked surprised.

"Yes, I was." Obi-Wan answered with a soft smile.

"That's cool. Grandpa always tells me stories about the Marines." Kanan said excitedly.

The grown-ups chuckled. "C'mon, Kanan. I need you to help me with dinner." Mace said and they walked to the kitchen.

As they left, Depa turned to Obi-Wan. "C'mon. I'll show you where you are going to stay." She said and took Obi-Wan upstairs.

"Kanan is an amazing boy. Congratulations." He said.

"Thank you." Depa said.

"I couldn't help but notice you call him Caleb." He said. "If you don't mind, why do you call him that?"

"Oh, it's his second name." The dark-haired woman answered. "He's full name is Kanan Caleb Jarrus."

"Oh."

Depa smiled and opened the door of the room that used to be her brother's room.

"This is where you are going to stay." She said. "The bathroom is over there." She said and pointed at a door on the right side of the room. "Dinner will be ready soon."

"Thank you, Depa." Obi-Wan said.

"You're welcome." The woman said and closed the door.

"You would be very proud of her, Craig." Obi-Wan whispered to the air. "And you would love Kanan, he's a good kid." He said remembering his old friend.

The following days, Obi-Wan got to know Kanan better. They boy was quite curious and most of the time, he asked Obi-Wan about his time with the Marines and what he did; Depa occasionally scolded him for being inquisitive but Obi-Wan knew that Kanan didn't do it to cause trouble, he was just curious and Obi-Wan was happy to answer all of his questions.

Obi-Wan also noticed that, even if Depa and Kanan weren't related by blood, he could see some resemblance between them and somehow, the ex-Marine knew that Kanan would become a police officer like her.

Obi-Wan was in the rear covered porch enjoying the mountain breeze when Kanan walked out and sat across him.

"Hi, uncle Obi." The ten-year old said.

"Hello, Kanan." Obi-Wan answered with a soft smile. For the past couple of days, Kanan had started to call Obi-Wan uncle; at first, Depa scolded him but Obi-Wan assured her that he didn't mind Kanan calling him that.

"Do you have something on your mind?" He asked when he saw the boy squirming in his seat.

Kanan nodded. "Can I ask you a question?" He asked shyly.

"Of course." He said with a soft smile.

Kanan took a deep breath. "Mom told me that you were adopted, just like me. Is that true?"

"Yes, it is." The older man answered. "I was adopted when I was three." He said. "Your mom told me that she adopted you when you turned six."

"Mhm! It was the best birthday present I ever had!" Kanan said happily but he soon got quiet. "Do you miss them?" He asked suddenly.

"Who?" Obi-Wan asked confused.

"Your parents. Do you miss them?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "I never met them." He said. "Do you miss your mom?"

Kanan nodded sadly. "Yes, every day."

Obi-Wan smiled sympathetically. "It's okay to miss her, Kanan. I'm sure your mom loved you very much." He said.

"You think?" The boy asked.

Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes."

"But my dad doesn't love me." Kanan said.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I have never seen him and because he didn't come when my mom died." Kanan said gloomily.

Obi-Wan sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Listen, Kanan. Even if you have never met your father and even if he doesn't love you, have to remember that you have a family that loves you very much and that they will always be there for you when you need them." He said.

Without warning, Kanan threw himself to Obi-Wan and hugged him. "Thank you, Uncle Obi." He mumbled against his shoulder.

Obi-Wan came out from the shock and wrapped his arms around the young boy. "You're welcome, Kanan." He said with a soft smile on his face.

A few days later, Obi-Wan, Depa, Kanan and Mace were at the airport. After having decided to spend a couple more days with Depa and her family, Obi-Wan was ready to return home.

"I'm so glad you came." Depa said as she hugged him.

"Me too." Obi-Wan said. "And I know he would be very proud of you and would have loved Kanan as his own son, just like you do." He said.

"Thank you, Obi-Wan." Depa said.

The auburn-haired man gave her a last hug and released her.

"Have a nice flight, son." Mace said.

"Thank you, sir." He said as he shook hands with Mace. "And thank you for your hospitality." He said.

"You're welcome." Mace answered. "Give our regards to your father and siblings."

"Will do." The younger man said.

"Do you really have to go?" Kanan asked.

"I'm afraid so." Obi-Wan answered. "My father and my siblings are waiting for me back at home but maybe you and your mom and your grandpa can go for the fourth of July."

"Cool!" Kanan said happily. "Can we go, mom? Can we?" He asked Depa.

Depa chuckled. "We'll see, honey." She answered.

"Cool!" The boy said and the grown-ups laughed.

"Passengers of United Airlines flight 869 bound to Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, please address gate B4." The announcer said.

"Well, that's my flight." Obi-Wan said and hugged Depa again. "Thank you again for everything, Depa." He said.

"You're welcome." Depa said.

Then, Obi-Wan looked at Kanan. "Goodbye, Kanan." The man said and extended his hand, however, Kanan hugged him instead.

"Bye, uncle Obi." He said.

Obi-Wan smiled and hugged Kanan back. "Be good with your mom, okay?"

Kanan nodded. "I will!" He said.

The man smiled and ruffled Kanan's hair, then, he walked to the gate; before walking down the jet bridge, he waved one last time at Depa and her family.

As the plane rolled down the taxiway, Obi-Wan smiled softly as he remembered the past week and a half he spent with Depa and her family.

There was a time when Obi-Wan thought that the concept of family was only limited to blood family but as he grew older, he understood that you don't need to have the same blood to be family. The concept got a whole new meaning when he joined the Marines; there, he understood that even your friends could become part of your family and act as an extended family.

Obi-Wan was blessed to have both a family and an extended family and he was happy to be part of Depa's extended family and he hoped that someday Anakin, Ahsoka and Kanan would feel blessed to have a family that loved them very much.