A/N: Anakin's POV! YAY! I really enjoyed writing this chapter. It's possibly my favourite I've ever written for this story. The next few chapters will be from his POV I think, just because it's a nice change.
I'd been contemplating when I was going to reveal this... And originally it was going to be in the sequel, but I decided that this fits better. So, yeah, bombshell approaching! Hope you enjoy xx
The day before the wedding, Padme announced that her mother wanted to have a girls' day out, getting manicures and having facials and going shopping – things that Anakin really didn't understand – and so, decided he'd go visit Obi-Wan. He hadn't seen him since Christmas, so it was only fair to drop by since he was back home. Besides, his mother was busy helping Beru and her mother with last minute preparations, so it wasn't as though he could spend time with her.
It was only a few blocks to Obi-Wan's place, so Anakin decided to walk, seeing as the weather was sunny and clear, despite being a little chilly. As he walked along the quiet neighborhood streets, his hands shoved in the front pockets of his faded jeans, his mind drifted to his future with Padme, and he sighed. She'd been reluctant to talk about it with him anytime he'd asked her lately, putting it off for 'later' or simply changing the subject entirely, much to his mounting frustration. It worried him. All Anakin wanted was to be with her, forever, but it seemed that she was of a different opinion. He vividly remembered her reaction at Christmas when he'd told her of Owen's engagement to Beru, and how she'd showed a strong objection to getting married so young. It haunted his every waking moment. He frowned as he continued to walk, turning all of this over in his mind.
Anakin knew, without a shadow of doubt, that he truly loved and wanted to marry Padme. He'd marry her today, if only she'd agree. She was his everything, his Angel, the light in his life that brought him out of his internal darkness. Without her, he was nothing. He would give her the world if he could, and only wanted to have her as his for the rest of his life.
But, despite that, he also respected her wishes. She didn't want that sort of commitment just yet, and as much as it hurt to admit it, Anakin knew she was right. They weren't ready for marriage yet. They didn't even live together for more than a few days at a time. Padme was still at school, and so was he. And, while that wouldn't have stopped Anakin from getting down on one knee and proposing, Padme had other ambitions. She had career goals and aspirations she was striving towards, and what kind of boyfriend would he be if he disregarded all of that. Her driving ambition was something he admired greatly about her. She was truly incredible.
Anakin wanted her to achieve those goals, wanted to support and aid her in doing so. Still...
When he'd arrived back home the day before, his mother had approached him and given him a very special and important gift. It was his grandmother's engagement and wedding ring set. Vintage, set in 18 karat white gold with intricately carved designs on it with a round center diamond and two smaller flanking diamonds, and absolutely beautiful. Anakin had stared at it in awe. Shmi had smiled, tears in her eyes, as she handed it to him, explaining that it had been left to her when his grandmother had passed away, and she wanted him to have it.
Anakin had accepted it immediately, though slightly scared. He'd held it in his hands for the longest time, as thousands of images rushed through his mind – him proposing to Padme, her throwing her arms around his neck and crying and telling him she loved him as he placed the ring on her finger, their wedding day; her being escorted by her father down the aisle of that tiny little church down the road, looking stunning in a beautiful white dress, each of them saying 'I do'. Just the idea of marrying Padmehad surfaced all these emotions Anakin had never felt before, and he'd almost cried.
It was what he wanted more than anything else in the world. Anakin didn't see anything wrong with marrying young. If it was meant to be, it was meant to be. Age meant nothing, not if you were truly in love. Sure, it may be a naive way to think, but he didn't care. He was a romantic at heart, and he loved Padme. If he knew anything, it was that. They were meant to be together. They were born for each other. He was certain of that. She had seen him for who he really was, knew all of his darkest secrets and worst fears, and yet forgave him and loved him for it. She knew he wasn't perfect, and she accepted that… accepted him, flaws and all. Anakin knew with every fiber of his being that she was the only woman for him. So, what was the point in waiting? Waiting was for those who were unsure. But, Anakin was absolutely certain. To him, it wasn't a matter of if he should propose - rather how, when, and where he should.
That little box was now sitting in his sock drawer, hidden right at the very back. He had no idea what to do with it. It was times like this he wished he had a father, a proper father, someone he could talk to about this, someone to give him advice. Which was why he was going to visit Obi-Wan – the only man in his life who he thought of as a true father figure. Anakin had known him for half of his life, ever since he and his mother had moved to Minnesota, and he trusted the man with his life. Perhaps Obi-Wan could shed some wisdom on what he should do.
As he reached Obi-Wan's house, a strange sight met his eyes. There, in the entrance way to the front door, was his mentor and an unfamiliar blonde woman in the middle of a very heated argument. She was short, almost a foot shorter than Obi-Wan, and her face was red and contorted in anger as she waved her arms around dramatically. Obi-Wan had his hands up in surrender, clearly trying to placate her, but the woman was having none of it.
Anakin didn't want to pry, because this was obviously a private matter, but he was also too curious not to watch it unfold. Who was she? He'd never seen her before in his life, and Anakin had known Obi-Wan for just over ten years. The only woman he'd ever seen him with was Satine. Was this woman a sister, maybe? Or, a cousin? He was determined to find out.
Suddenly, the woman let out a sharp cry of rage and thrust a manila folder roughly into Obi-Wan's hands, before turning and storming down the driveway to a dark green Nissan Altima parked on the curb, getting in and slamming the driver's door shut and speeding away in a hurry. Poor Obi-Wan looked stunned, his mouth hanging open, as he stood in the doorway, clutching the folder to his chest, his eyes following the movement of the car as it drove away. It was all so confusing, but Anakin was determined to get to the bottom of it.
He walked towards his friend cautiously and called out to him. The auburn-haired man lifted his head at the sound of his name, and shook his head, giving him a weak smile that didn't reach his blue-green eyes.
"Anakin! What the devil are you doing here?!"
Shrugging, he shoved his hands back in the pockets of his jeans. "It's Owen's wedding tomorrow. I've come back home for that. But, Mom's busy with the final preparations, and Padme's spending the day with her mother, so I thought I'd drop by and visit, if it's not a bad time..."
Obi-Wan nodded, looking a little forlorn. It was strange – Anakin had never seen his mentor so disorientated like this. There was almost this misery surrounding him, and it was utterly perplexing. "Of course, Anakin. You're always welcome. It's good to see you again."
"Thanks. You, too."
They embraced quickly, then Obi-Wan ushered him inside the house. It was impeccably clean, just like everything else that his mentor owned. It was another reason why his profession as a mechanic was so difficult to believe sometimes. How a person who revered cleanliness and was a complete neat freak could work underneath the hood of a vehicle at all hours of the day was beyond Anakin. He only had to glance once around the living room to see just how neat Obi-Wan was. The place was spotless. Everything was arranged just so, in that artfully decorated way you would see in an IKEA catalog. It was almost amusing.
Anakin took a seat on the sofa, resting his right leg casually across his left knee while Obi-Wan offered him something to drink or eat. He gave only a blasé response, paying more attention to that mysterious folder his mentor had left lying on the kitchen counter. The curiosity was eating him alive. He wanted so desperately to understand who that woman was, and what was going on, but he knew it wasn't his place to ask. Not yet, at least.
When Obi-Wan finally joined him on the opposite sofa, the elephant in the room was difficult to ignore. It rose up, unyielding and obnoxious, the air between them growing thick and awkward. Anakin shifted slightly in his seat and rubbed the back of his neck, casting his eyes to the ground, as Obi-Wan simply took a sip of his freshly brewed tea. The small talk began, something Anakin had never been very good at, or enjoyed all that much. How have you been? How is your mother? How is college? How is Padme? The same simple, mundane questions that all elicited the same, one-syllable responses.
Good.
Eventually, the burning curiosity inside Anakin got the better of him, and he bluntly asked, "Who was that?"
The auburn-haired man kept a surprisingly blank face, his thick eyebrows knitting together, as he tipped his head to the side. "Who?"
Anakin pouted, not in the mood for any of his bullshit, and crossed his arms over his broad chest. "You know exactly who I'm talking about. That random blonde woman you were arguing with just before I showed up."
"You saw that?" Obi-Wan's eyes widened a little in surprise, and when Anakin nodded his head, he sighed deeply. "She was no one important, Anakin. Just an…old acquaintance."
"She didn't look like an old 'acquaintance' to me," Anakin insisted. He was nothing if not persistent, after all. "It looked quite heated from where I was standing. Like the two of you have…history, or something."
Lips pursed together in a frown, Obi-Wan scowled. "It's not polite to stick your nose where it doesn't belong, Anakin," he remarked, voice clipped with obvious irritation.
Sensing that he'd struck a nerve, Anakin apologized quickly, clearing the air between them. It was then, he decided, to broach the subject he'd actually come there for. "I…I need your help, your advice, Obi-Wan."
Those sea-green eyes softened a little with quiet affection. It was a look Anakin hadn't seen in years, not since he'd been a wayward teen close to going off the rails. "Of course, Anakin. What can I do for you?"
With a trembling voice, he explained his dilemma; how he desperately wanted to marry Padme, but didn't know if the timing was right…or even if the timing would ever be right. As always, Obi-Wan listened intently, something Anakin was grateful for. His mentor had always been a fantastic listener, and gave possibly the best advice of anyone he'd ever known. He saw him as more than just a friend, but almost as a father figure. Positive father figures had been something he'd lacked in his life, but as soon as he'd moved to Minnesota with his mother and met Obi-Wan, the man had filled that gap. He'd treated Anakin like a son for most of his life, and like a friend at other times. He'd helped him pick himself up at his lowest points, and Anakin couldn't have been more grateful to him. He truly loved him.
When Anakin had finished explaining his feelings and concerns, he sat back and watched Obi-Wan intently, as the older man considered his position. He bounced his knee impatiently and exhaled sharply through his nose, doing his best not to hurry him up, even though it was proving difficult. Anakin had never been a particularly patient individual.
Finally, Obi-Wan sighed, his expression grave. "Why do you want to marry Padme so badly?" he asked.
Anakin stared at him like he was crazy, eyes impossibly wide, jaw almost hitting the floor. "Because, I love her!" he cried out, incredulously. "I love her more than anything. I don't ever want to be without her in my life."
"But, you aren't married now. And, you still love her. What would getting married change about that?"
Frowning in confusion, Anakin crossed his arms and scowled. "She'd be my wife," he responded almost rudely, as though it was the most obvious answer in the world. What kind of questions were these anyway? What was Obi-Wan playing at?
With a shake of his head, Obi-Wan brought his fingers up to his forehead, rubbing it slowly, suddenly appearing tired. "Is that what you want? To somehow claim her? To own her?"
"What in the world are you talking about? I want her to be my wife. To be mine. Forever."
"Anakin…" Obi-Wan whispered his name on an exhausted sigh, his face drawn into a grimace. "You can't just… own someone. Padme is her own person. You can love her, yes, of course you can. But, you can't… possess her. She's not an object, Anakin."
Anger boiled furiously in his blood, rising hotly to the surface of his skin, and he forcefully tried to contain it. He was insinuating what? That he wanted to possess Padme? "I know she's not an object," he snapped harshly. "But, I love her, and I want her to be mine. To love her forever. Is that so fucking wrong?"
Scowling at his language, Obi-Wan just shook his head again. "Anakin, you'd be marrying her for all the wrong reasons," he tried to reason with him, keeping his voice calm and smooth, but Anakin was too worked up to care. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Did he not deserve to marry Padme? Did he not deserve to love her, to have her as his wife?
"You can't just slip a ring onto her finger as though you're staking a claim to her. That's not what marriage is supposed to be about, Anakin."
That was the final straw. Anakin suddenly exploded, his rage bubbling forward. "What the fuck do you know about marriage?" he bellowed, spitting venom, as he rose aggressively to his feet. "You've been with Satine for ten fucking years, and yet you've never had the balls to propose to her. Ten years, and nothing to show for it. You're just a fucking coward who's afraid of love!"
He made to storm out of the room, when Obi-Wan called out to him sternly. "Sit down, Anakin, and stop acting like a child. You have no idea what you're talking about." Anakin had never heard Obi-Wan sound so serious before, so full of authority, and despite how angry he was, he felt he had no choice but to do as he was asked.
Heaving another great sigh, Obi-Wan got up and retrieved that mysterious folder from the kitchen counter and then sat back down, placing it gently on the glass coffee table between them. Anakin furrowed his eyebrows in confusion but Obi-Wan answered his questioning gaze, remarking, "I shouldn't even be telling you this. If anyone found out I would lose my job. I could be prosecuted for what I'm about to tell you. But, I think it's time you knew the truth."
He reached forward and handed the folder to Anakin, inclining his head to indicate he should open it, which Anakin did, more confused than ever. Opening the folder, he pulled out the first sheet of paper.
It was a divorce form.
C. Mace Windu Esq.
Attorney at Law
SUPERIOR COURT OF MINNESOTA, COUNTY OF HENNEPIN
MARRIAGE OF:
Petitioner: Siri Tachi
Respondent: Benjamin Tachi
PETITION FOR:
Legal Dissolution of Marriage
Anakin stared at the form in his hand for the longest time, utterly perplexed. Why did Obi-Wan have someone else's divorce papers? And, why had that strange woman delivered them to him? What the fuck was going on here?
When he raised these questions, Obi-Wan just sighed again, dropping his shoulders in resignation. "Those are my divorce papers, Anakin."
"Wait…what?!" Anakin blinked several times, trying to process what he was hearing. "You're… married? ! To a different woman than Satine?! You're getting a – a divorce? But – but these documents are for a…Benjamin Tachi…"
"Yes," Obi-Wan nodded his head slowly. "That is my real name. My true name. Benjamin Tachi. Siri, that blonde woman you saw, is legally my wife."
It was as if his entire world came crashing down around him. Anakin was dumbfounded. His entire life was a lie. Was any of this even real? Surely, it was a dream. He'd known Obi-Wan Kenobi for ten years…and only now, he was finding out that it wasn't even his real name. And, he was married?
"What the fuck? What is going on, Obi-Wan? That's not even your fucking name… what the hell – this is…this is so fucked up! What the hell is this all about?!" he asked frantically, agitatedly narrowing his eyes in suspicion. "You'd better tell me everything right now or I'll…I'll – " he wasn't sure what he was threatening, but he needed answers. He needed the truth, and he needed it now.
Obi-Wan held his hands up in surrender, clearly trying to calm him down. "Anakin, please. Just…let me explain."
"Well, fucking explain then," Anakin retorted rudely through clenched teeth, his jaw locked.
Raking a hand through his thick auburn hair, Obi-Wan blinked his sea-green eyes sincerely at Anakin. "Firstly, you have to believe me when I say I've always cared about you, Anakin. Regardless of what I'm about to tell you, that has always been true, and that won't change." His reassurance unnerved Anakin; the bombshell that he knew was about to be revealed had him almost shaking with nervousness.
"But yes, my name is not Obi-Wan Kenobi. Well, in a sense it is, I guess, but not really. I was born Benjamin Tachi, in Perth, Scotland. When I was 15, my family moved over to the US and lived in Georgia for a few years. I wanted to go into the US Marshall's service, but because I wasn't a US citizen, I couldn't apply. When I was 18, I met Siri, the woman who you saw here, and we fell in love and got married; which gave me citizenship status here in America through her. So I applied, went through the vigorous training, and passed all the tests, and when I was 23, I was finally selected for the agency. I was an officer in the Witness Protection Program, and after further training, I was given my first case when I was 25. That case was you and your mother."
"Me?!" Anakin shook his head to clear his thoughts. "What do you mean, me?! I'm not part of any Witness Protection Program! Mom and I were just relocated to Minnesota to start a new life after my father was sent to prison."
Obi-Wan – or Ben? – smiled sadly. "No, Anakin. That's not completely true. Your father did go to prison, yes, but he is linked to several drug-related crime rings in Arizona – many of his associates are in prison as well...But, not all of them are. For your own safety, you and your mother were placed in the Federal Witness Protection Program and relocated to Minnesota. This was to protect you both from any retaliation from your father or his fellow gang members. I was charged with watching over you, should any of your father's associates decide to seek either of you out. So, I went undercover, as Obi-Wan Kenobi, a humble mechanic with a philosophy degree. Satine is my undercover partner. We've been watching over you and your mother for ten years."
The knowledge was stupefying. All his life, he'd known his father had been a bad man, but this was news to him. Mind blowing news at that! His mother had never said a word, probably to protect him, and yet, he couldn't help but feel enraged. He'd been lied to. Deliberately. Lied to by his own mother, lied to by the only man who he had truly respected – a man, come to find out, he didn't even truly know, had never known. He was a complete stranger. An undercover federal agent, no less.
"You…you and Satine…you're both undercover agents?" he asked slowly, still trying to wrap his head around this startling new information.
"Yes."
"And, your real name is Ben?"
"Yes. But, you can still call me Obi-Wan, if you want," he said with a small smile. He was trying to put him at ease, Anakin had to give him that.
With a wry smirk, Anakin shrugged. "Actually, I prefer Ben. It's easier to say. But, you're still married to this… Siri?"
Obi-Wan/Ben rubbed his eyes. "Married is a…loose term. Technically, yes. But, we've been separated for more than ten years. We grew apart over the years…and after Satine and I were assigned to work together on your case, I fell in love with her. When you live and work with someone so closely for so long, putting on a façade of being lovers, it was not unexpected for our front to become reality."
Anakin groaned and leaned forward, resting his head in his hands. "Shit… this is so fucking confusing. I don't even know you anymore." When had his life become so complicated? It was like he was part of one of those crime shows his mother liked watching late at night. All this time, he'd been watched by an undercover agent, and hadn't even noticed. Of course, he supposed that was a good thing. If he'd noticed, then Obi-Wan – Ben… that's gonna be fucking hard to remember – hadn't been doing his job well. But, it didn't make the pill any easier to swallow either.
"Anakin…"
"You lied to me," he hissed, hurt and betrayed and suddenly lonely. His best friend wasn't even a real person. He was completely made up, a fictitious persona. "I…I trusted you, implicitly, and you – you're not even real…"
"I still care about you, Anakin," Ben insisted earnestly. "Just because I'm not…the same person you knew me to be, doesn't change how I feel toward you. My job is to protect you, to protect you and your mother. But, Anakin...Be warned, be aware...No one else can know. I shouldn't have even told you… if word got out about this…"
" – I won't say anything," Anakin grumbled quickly, a deep scowl still etched across his forehead. The betrayal cut him deep, but even so, he knew how important it was that this was never made public. His life and that of his mother were at stake. Not to mention Cliegg and Padme!
"You can't tell anyone, Anakin," Ben reiterated, deadly serious. "Not Padme. Not Ahsoka. Not even your mother. Do you understand? Absolutely no one."
"Yes, I get it," He fiddled with his hands in his lap, refusing to look up at the stranger before him. Because, he was a stranger. Anakin had known Obi-Wan Kenobi for ten years. He'd known Ben Tachi for all of ten minutes.
"Why does your wife want a divorce all of a sudden?" Anakin asked suddenly. "If you've been separated for years and years, wouldn't you have done it already?" It didn't make any sense to him. Why would he stay in a marriage that was more or less over, especially if he was involved with another woman all that time?
"Siri has tried to get me to agree to a divorce for years," he explained sheepishly. "Our marriage has given me legal citizenship, so I've kept it while I've been waiting to apply for my own. It's only just come through now."
Anakin frowned. "Then why did she look so angry? Wouldn't she have been...I dunno...relieved that you finally agreed?"
It was Ben's turn to squirm, shrinking underneath Anakin's accusatory glare, which hadn't softened since he'd discovered his mentor was essentially an imposter. "Well, um…she found out that Satine is pregnant, you see…"
This extra piece of news was just too much for Anakin, and he threw his arms up in the air, overwhelmed. "Are you fucking kidding me?! What else have you been hiding from me? That Ahsoka's my goddamn cousin?!"
Ben blanched and coughed slightly, casting his eyes to the floor, and Anakin shook his head in utter disbelief. "No…no you can't be serious. This is a joke, right? All of this. A fucking sick joke."
"She's not your cousin, no," Ben assured him, voice weak. "She's...uh...she's your sister, actually."
"WHAT?!"
Holding his hands up in surrender, Ben tried to calm him down. "Well, half-sister, really. Your father had a child with another woman, while he was still married to your mother. The child's mother was murdered by some of his drug associates not long after your father was imprisoned. I took the child into my care for her own safety… and, well, that child is...Ahsoka."
No amount of words could describe Anakin's ire at that point. He was beyond furious! Now, he suddenly had a younger sister? A sister that had been hidden from him for half his life?! True, he'd always treated Ahsoka like his little sister anyway, but he'd never imagined in his wildest dreams that they'd actually been related! All this time, he'd had a younger sibling…
Family was sacred to Anakin, more precious than anything, and not knowing about Ahsoka triggered something deep inside him…a deep, roiling wrath that sizzled and burned ferociously. How could Ben have kept Ahsoka a secret from him for ten years? How could he have kept that a secret, about his own family? At that moment, he didn't care what kind of special agent Ben was. All he knew was that the man sitting before him was a liar, and he needed to know that what he'd done was wrong.
Fists clenching tightly so that his knuckles turned white, Anakin leapt to his feet, breathing heavy and ragged, drawing himself up to his full, formidable height. "You're an asshole."
Ben rose too, a look of deep remorse on his face. "I did it to protect her, Anakin. I love that little girl as if she's my own daughter."
"She's mybabysister! I deserved to know that! You had no fucking right to keep that fact from me!"
He opened his mouth as though to protest, then hung his head, clearly ashamed. Despite how angry and deceived he felt, Anakin lowered his fierce stance just a little, taking pity on him.
"I know…" Ben muttered softly. "I'm sorry. But, if I'd told you, then you would've asked how I knew that, and then my secret would have been out. Anakin, you're not a child any more...You're an adult. Look at all the ramifications if I had told you the truth before. There is so much at stake here, Anakin! So many lives at risk!"
To an extent, Anakin understood. It wasn't necessarily Ben's fault…He'd had to keep it a secret. It was his job. But, that didn't mean it wasn't confusing as hell. It didn't stop Anakin from feeling betrayed by a man who he'd thought had been his friend, his mentor, his brother, and a father figure all rolled into one. All this new information was too much for him to process at once, and he raked a hand through his hair in helpless defeat.
"Fuck... I need a drink."
Ben laughed timidly and nodded his head. "Yeah. So, do I."
Nodding in mutual agreement, the two of them headed out of the house and down the street to the local bar on the corner, a place where Anakin knew he'd get let in without being ID'd, because he'd done it so often there, they recognized him, and the security was lax. If Ben disapproved, he didn't say anything, which Anakin was thankful for. As far as Anakin was concerned, he really didn't have any authority to reprimand him anyway, not after what he'd just revealed.
They took a seat at the bar, Anakin ordering the strongest scotch there was, Ben mirroring him and paying for both. It was completely silent between them as they sat there, drinking. Before Ben's dramatic reveal, Anakin might have enjoyed doing something like this with him, almost as if they were bonding or something. Instead, it now felt awkward and slightly uncomfortable. Neither one knew what to say, so instead of talking, they just drank more, soon having finished three drinks apiece in the space of ten minutes.
Eventually, Ben broke the silence, first with a cough, then twisted on his barstool to face Anakin. "I'm really sorry, Anakin," he began softly, his expression sincere, his voice grave. "This isn't how I wanted this to happen. I never wanted- or intended- to hurt you. I hope you know that."
With a deep sigh, Anakin stared intently at the mahogany bar, idly tracing his finger around the rim of his glass. "Yeah, I understand that…sorta," he muttered. His head pounded, whether that was from the amount of scotch he'd consumed so quickly, or from the amount of information he was currently trying to wrap his head around, or both, he wasn't sure, but he guessed it was probably both. "This is a lot of shit to take in, alright. Just give me some time, to process this. I mean, the last ten years of my life have been a lie!"
"Anakin…" Ben reached across to lay a hand on his shoulder, but Anakin flinched away from him. "This doesn't change how I feel about you," he reassured him kindly, a twinge of sadness in his words. "You're like a brother...a son, to me. I've watched you grow up, from boy to man, over the past ten years, and I care so much about you. I'm so very proud to have had the privilege of watching you become the remarkable young man you are. I love you, Anakin. My job, and my name, don't change that. It's my job to protect you, but it's my choice to care about you."
Something about his admission softened Anakin's resolve, and he slowly lifted his head, to be met with the saddest expression in his mentor's eyes that he'd ever seen in his life. He wasn't sure, but it looked as though he was about to cry, and that evoked a deep affection for the man sitting opposite him. The man who had saved his life so many times, who'd helped him find his way, to pick up the scattered pieces of his tragic life and put them back together.
Despite everything that had just been revealed to him, Ben's feelings remained true. Wasn't that all that really mattered? Regardless of why things were the way they were, Anakin should have felt grateful to have had someone genuinely care about him like that, without any sort of ulterior motive.
So, with that in mind, Anakin gave him a weak smile and scoffed. "You shouldn't drink scotch, y'know. It makes you sappy."
His blue-green eyes twinkled with mischief, and he laughed, and it was almost contagious so that Anakin couldn't help but join in. The stiffness in the air between them dissipated somewhat, and even though things weren't going to go back to the way they used to be so easily, there was hope. Anakin could feel it.
"So, Ben, huh? God, that's gonna take some getting used to," Anakin remarked, shaking his head and quickly threw back the last of his drink, before ordering them both another round with a lift of his index finger, sliding the money across the counter to the bartender. "I guess it explains why you're such a neat freak."
"What do you mean?" He tipped his head to the side in confusion, slightly insulted.
With a pointed look, Anakin just smirked. "I never understood how a mechanic could be so…clean! I mean, have you seen your workshop? It's practically spotless. That should've set off alarm bells, right there."
Ben rolled his eyes. "There's nothing wrong with keeping things clean, Anakin."
"No," Anakin conceded. "It's just uncommon."
They received their drinks, and Anakin raised his up. "I guess congratulations are in order. For the baby."
The bright grin that lit up Ben's face at the mention of his unborn child made Anakin smile, as they clinked their drinks together, then threw them back. It was endearing, really, the way his eyes sparkled with excitement. Anakin could understand – the prospect of being a father himself one day filled him with immense pride, and he couldn't wait for that point in time in his life when he and Padme would have a baby together. The mere thought of seeing Padme's belly swollen with his baby filled his heart with a strong surge of proud affection. Of course, he didn't know exactly what a good father was, his own being in contention for possibly the worst father in the US. But, he knew that Ben would be great as a dad, and hopefully, he could learn a thing or two from him, watching him raise his own child.
"Thank you, Anakin. That means a lot."
Wanting to alleviate the tensions between them, Anakin swallowed his pride and reached out to rest his hand on Ben's shoulder in support. "I'm happy for you. Really."
"It was certainly a surprise," Ben admitted, chuckling softly.
"How far along is she?"
"Just over three months. The baby is due in mid September."
Anakin nodded his head, a smirk on his lips. "You should totally name the baby Anakin. It's a gender neutral name, I reckon."
Rolling his eyes, Ben just let out an exasperated sigh. "Of course, you would say that," he muttered, shaking his head, but Anakin could tell that he was amused. Good. He was trying really hard to keep things normal, to disregard the fact that he was a completely different person, and humour was his cover. It was something he could work with.
They stayed there, drinking, at the bar for a couple more hours, and Anakin felt a little calmer than he had before. His emotions were still tumultuous, and he doubted things would go back to being completely normal between the two of them straight away, but he was no longer…angry.
"You should tell Ahsoka," he muttered after a while. "She needs to know. Family is important to kids like us… especially her. She's grown up without a family, and knowing that she actually has a brother – she'll want to know that."
Ben nodded in agreement. "I know. I will, I promise you. When she's older. I don't think she could handle it right now."
"I probably should've figured it out," Anakin laughed, shaking his head. "I mean, we're so similar; we practically acted like brother and sister anyway. It shouldn't have been such a surprise."
"Yes, well, you two are uncharacteristically similar…" Ben smirked. "I'm sorry for keeping that from you," he added in a meek voice. "It wasn't out of malice. I hope you know that."
Anakin nodded solemnly, all previous resentment absent, as he met his mentor's gaze firmly and smiled. "I know."
A mutual understanding passed between them, and Anakin felt the metaphorical clouds part. The air was clear. The truth was out at last.
And, things were going to be okay.
