Days passed as the deliberation went on until it was the moment of Qui-Gon's memorial. Obi-Wan found himself standing in front of a mirror fiddling with a small stack of notecards that he had written his eulogy on. He looked himself up and down, wondering what his father would have said if he could see him now.
"You'd tell me that my tie makes me look stuffy," he murmured with a slight smile.
"And he'd tell me that I should have stuck with a clip on," Anakin commented from the doorway.
Obi-Wan turned to see that Anakin had tied his traditional tie in a bow and sighed. "That isn't even the kind of tie for that."
"Ties are dumb."
"You can't just wear a t-shirt and a leather vest to our father's memorial service."
"Dad doesn't care what I wear as long as I'm there."
"We're not having this discussion again. Now, come here so I can fix you."
"I think I'm a little past fixing at this point. I probably need a therapist for any progress."
Obi-Wan gave him a nonplussed look.
Anakin shrugged sheepishly, "Humor is how I'm getting through today."
"It'll be okay," Obi-Wan said gently as he reached up to re-do Anakin's tie. "We've got each other, and we have our friends. We'll get through this." He patted Anakin's shoulder when he was done. "Come on, let's go across the hall."
The two boys made their way into the apartment next door to find Padmé with her back turned to Maul who was zipping up her dress for her.
Obi-Wan cleared his throat and glared at Maul who just raised his hands in surrender and shrugged.
"You know how her outfits are," Maul replied.
Padmé turned to the boys and smiled, "You both look so handsome." She gave Obi-Wan an appreciative once-over, "It's nice to see you in something that isn't beige."
Obi-Wan blushed, "I wear more than beige."
"Yeah," Anakin said, trying not to smile, "He also wears brown."
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, "Are we ready to go?"
"I've got your picture presentation in the car already. Is there anything you're forgetting?" Padmé asked.
"Was the urn in there?" Obi-Wan asked.
"I didn't see anything else," Padmé replied.
Obi-Wan turned to Anakin, "You forgot to pack dad?"
Anakin looked down. "Maybe."
"Well, go get him," Obi-Wan said, nudging him to the door, "We can't have a memorial service for dad and not actually have him there."
"It's just weird," Anakin sighed, "He's essentially in a cookie jar."
Obi-Wan pinched the bridge of his nose, "You did not just compare our father's urn to a cookie car."
"You got a better comparison?" Anakin shot back.
"Just go get him!" Obi-Wan sighed in exasperation, "We'll meet you in the car."
"Alright, alright. I'm going!"
Obi-Wan shook his head and started to head for the car.
"He's right," Maul mumbled, "It does look like a cookie jar."
"I don't have to reiterate how odd it is that the man who killed him wanted to go to the memorial service," Obi-Wan shot back.
Maul sighed, "I told you. I feel guilty and I want to pay my respects."
"And if people ask how you know him?" Obi-Wan countered as he got into the car.
"I'll tell them I'm a friend of the family and I'm there for support," Maul shot back.
"I think it shows growth that he's coming," Padmé said, gently placing her hand on Obi-Wan's thigh as they waited for Anakin to slide into the back with Maul.
When they were all ready, Obi-Wan pulled away from the curb and drove them to the Temple.
It was oddly still that morning, having been closed to the public for Qui-Gon's service. The calming sound of water trickling in the background provided ambient noise in a space full of peace lilies. Everything was white and pure, almost as if to cleanse the soul. In the middle of it all was an altar adorned with more flowers, but with enough space for Obi-Wan and Anakin to finish filling it with their picture presentation, the urn, and a few other items that defined Qui-Gon in their minds.
"Master Yoda, where did you get all of these flowers?" Obi-Wan asked softly after he finished setting up the altar.
"Know people, I do," he winked.
Soon, people started to trickle in; a few of Qui-Gon's coworkers, Ahsoka, Rex, and a few of their neighbors and friends.
Obi-Wan shifted his weight on his feet as he looked at the small crowd that had gathered. He chewed his lip as he fetched his notecards from his pocket.
"Are you nervous?" Padmé asked gently.
"About the eulogy?" Obi-Wan looked down at the cards, "A little. How does one sum up the life of a person in a few meaningful words that people may not even remember?"
Padmé gently cupped his face, "Just speak from your heart. People won't remember words, but they'll remember the sentiment. Most of all, they'll remember your father. He'd be proud of you, regardless of what you say."
Obi-Wan turned to kiss her hand. "I love you, darling."
"I love you, too, and I'll be waiting right here for you when you're done."
Obi-Wan nodded before going towards the front of the gathering and clearing his throat. "I want to thank everyone for coming here today. We've gathered to remember my father, Qui-Gon Jinn. He-" Obi-Wan broke off for a moment, catching himself from making a verbal misstep, "was a brave man who died protecting others."
Maul looked down, ashamed.
Obi-Wan looked at the cards in his hand before putting them down on the table and deciding to speak from the heart. "My father was my hero. He always did what he thought was right, no matter the consequences. He taught me and my brother to stand up for what we believe in and to support each other because if you can't count on family, who can you count on? But, more than that, he taught me that family isn't always who you're born with. Sometimes, family is who you choose and who chooses you every day. There are no obligations, but you continue to choose each other. That's real love. The one thing that was never lacking in my father's household was love. He had so much of it, for so many things: injured animals, dying plants- really any pathetic thing that he thought needed some extra attention, he'd give it to them. When I was younger, I thought it was silly, but now, seeing how dark the world has become it's important that we lift each other up and try to spread as much love as we can. That's... that's what Qui-Gon would have wanted: peace, justice, and love for all. That's how I want to live my life going forward: doing the right thing, forgiving others, and spreading love."
Obi-Wan locked eyes with Padmé, catching her swiping a stray tear from her cheek. She gave him a sad smile and a nod.
"Now, I'm going to pass the floor to my brother and then anyone who wants to share a memory is welcome to do so," Obi-Wan gestured for Anakin to come up.
Anakin enveloped him in a hug before turning to the crowd.
"My father once told me that you can't choose how you come into this world, but you can choose the life you live while you're on it," Anakin said. "He supported whatever decision I was making that week because he believed in letting me make mistakes. He never let me do anything really bad, and he was always there to bail me out when I found myself in trouble. Even when Obi-Wan and I were fighting, he was always there to smooth things over. Life... life without him has been a learning curve. You never understand how much you rely on someone until they're gone. Yet, some higher power up there has a tendency to look out for you when it gets bleak. I may have lost my father, but I found my brother. I found a relationship we didn't quite have before. I learned that dad was right. All these years, we have been loving each other in our own weird ways and just hadn't been able to see it without him to point it out. Now I can see it clearly. I hate that it took the loss of my father to get there, but I know that if my father could have chosen only one good thing to come out of his demise, it would be this. I just hope he knew how much he was loved, because I know no matter how many times I told him, it will never have been enough. I'll always wish I had one more time to say 'I love you, Dad.'"
Obi-Wan squeezed Anakin's shoulder. "He knew."
Anakin nodded numbly, "Would anyone else like to talk?"
The two of them slipped back into the crowd and listened while their father's coworkers spoke a bit about various work escapades. They were only half listening. Obi-Wan held Padmé's hand, stroking his thumb back and forth across her knuckles. Anakin was talking to a nervous-looking Maul in the back. Soon, the stories were over and they were all coming up to say their specific condolences to Obi-Wan and Anakin before leaving.
Obi-Wan's face was taut as he kept himself emotionally aloof. Every once in a while, he'd glance at Anakin to see how the younger man was faring with the constant wave of condolences. Only when it was over did he remember to breathe.
"I thought it would never end," Anakin sighed.
"I agree. That was especially draining," Obi-Wan added.
Anakin shook his head, "I need air."
Obi-Wan let him go, choosing instead to walk over to the altar they had erected. His hand absentmindedly pet a petal on a lily before he settled his eyes on the picture display.
"I know it wasn't quite how you would have planned it," Obi-Wan murmured, resting a hand on the urn.
"Proud of you, he still would be," Master Yoda said, looking up at him.
Obi-Wan smiled down at him, "You think so?"
Yoda hit him with his cane, "Lie, I do not."
"Never said you did."
"Release your father's ashes, you will?"
"It's what he would have wanted."
"To be one with the world is how we are meant to be. From star dust, made are we, and to star dust, we return."
"Luminous beings are we," Obi-Wan smiled softly.
"Not crude matter," Yoda added before tapping him with his cane, "Listen, you do."
"Sometimes you say things that stick."
"Only sometimes, hmmmm?"
Obi-Wan chuckled, "More often than not."
"Thought so, I did," Yoda said with a satisfied smirk before hobbling away.
"Ready?" Anakin asked, coming up next to him.
"To release him, or to release myself to start healing?"
"Both."
Obi-Wan nodded, picking up the urn. "Let's do this."
The two brothers walked out the door and to the beach down the street.
Anakin grimaced as they walked.
"What?"
"I hate sand. It's getting all over my good shoes."
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, "It's for dad."
"I know, which is why I didn't stop walking."
They came to a stop at the water's edge. Light glinted off the surface of the water as birds flew overhead. The wind picked up slightly, blowing their hair out of their faces.
Obi-Wan nodded at Anakin before taking the lid off of the urn. "On the count of three?"
Anakin nodded, grabbing hold of one side of the urn while Obi-Wan held the other.
"One... Two... Three."
They watched as the wind picked up some of the ashes as the rest was taken out with the tide. Together, they stood for a moment, wrapping an arm around each other as they looked out onto the horizon.
"Goodbye, dad," Anakin murmured.
"May the force be with you, always," Obi-Wan added.
After one more lingering look, the two men turned and walked back to where they had left their friends.
When they entered the room, Padmé gave Obi-Wan a sad smile and he nodded. Wordlessly, she enveloped him in a hug. Obi-Wan buried his face in the crook of her neck as he held onto her tight.
Over her shoulder, Obi-Wan noticed Rex talking to someone on the phone. When he hung up, he walked back to the group and cleared his throat.
"What is it, Captain?" Obi-Wan asked, letting go of Padmé.
"The jury's back," Rex replied. "If we leave now, we'll be able to hear the verdict."
Obi-Wan looked down at his girlfriend and then over at his brother before turning back to Rex. "You know, the odds of us getting there even faster increase exponentially with a police escort."
Rex smirked, "I'll see what I can do."