Author: TemporaryUniverse
WC: 4,230 (34,702 Total)

A.N. Final chapter! Thank you all for sticking with this, I hope this ending makes up for at least some of the hurt I've inflicted.

He opened his eyes in an unfamiliar med center. There was a flash of disappointment, but he remembered his promise to Qui-Gon and quashed it down.

He glanced to his right and found Cody slumped in the chair at his bedside. He stared for a moment, struck by the sudden wave of reminiscence. How many times had he woken up like this during the war?

Cody stirred, as if sensing he was awake, and blearily looked up at him.

"Obi-Wan!" Obi-Wan's breath hitched. He hadn't heard his name from Cody's mouth since just before Utapau.

Cody? His fingers fumbled a little on the letters.

"My chip is gone," he said. "They took it out first thing. Obi-Wan, I—I'm so sorry." He reached out, as if to grab Obi-Wan's hand, and then stopped. Tears rolled down his cheeks. "I'm sorry, I didn't—I'm sorry. I shot you down. I hurt you—"

It's okay, he was quick to reassure. Oh, Cody, it's okay. It wasn't you. I know it wasn't you.

How he had longed for this. To see Cody as himself again. It was a gift he didn't know what to do with.

"Obi-Wan—"

It wasn't you. I won't have you blaming yourself, my dear.

Cody bowed his head, his shoulders shaking. Obi-Wan couldn't stop himself from reaching out and laying a hand on his hair, but that only made Cody sob harder.

Seeing his friend crying like this… In all the time he had known him, he had only seen Cody cry a few times, always after horrible battles where the losses were staggeringly high and they'd been running on fumes for days. Obi-Wan couldn't stand to do nothing while his Commander was in such pain. He'd done enough of that over the past year. He grabbed Cody's hand and pulled.

Cody looked up, tears trailing down his face, and Obi-Wan pulled again and patted his bed with his other hand, hoping Cody could read the request in his eyes. Cody blinked and opened his mouth as if to object, so Obi-Wan yanked on his hand a third time. Wiping his eyes, Cody gave in and got up to sit on the edge of the bed. Obi-Wan grabbed his friend's shoulder and levered himself upright. He twisted around and practically collapsed into Cody's chest. His newest scar twinged in complaint, but he ignored it.

"Obi-Wan—?" Cody flailed a bit, and Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around him and buried his face in his neck. Hesitantly, Cody's arms came up, and he returned the hug. When Obi-Wan didn't protest or show any signs of letting go, his grip tightened, pulling him closer, seeking comfort.

They sat there clutching at each other until the med droid came in and squawked at Cody for not immediately alerting it that its patient was awake.

Cody stayed nearby as the droid checked Obi-Wan over and declared he was healing well. He learned that he'd nearly died twice and then been in the bacta tank for four days. The damage had been extensive, and he'd lost a large chunk of his intestines, but that wasn't as bad as a saber through the spine.

His prostheses were missing, Cody told him they had to take them off to put him in bacta.

When can I have them back? Obi-Wan asked.

"Once you've healed more," Cody said. "They're worried moving around too much will strain your injury. It should only be a couple days."

So they decided the best way to keep me here was to keep me paralyzed? If Obi-Wan could have snarled it aloud, he would have. As it was, he settled for curling his lip, anger building in him. Taking his legs, stealing away his agency, was just one of the ways Sidious controlled him.

"It's not like that—"

I want them back. His hands trembled as they gestured and he quickly pressed them flat against his thighs to stop them.

Cody looked at him, broadcasting compassion and sadness into the Force for him to feel. There was not an ounce of pity in it, for which Obi-Wan was thankful.

"I'll see if I can convince them. Only if you promise to stay in this bed for however long the medics say."

Resorting to blackmail now, Cody? It should have made him even angrier, but he was instead reminded of all the times his Commander bullied him into staying put in the medbay. All the times he'd taken care of him.

"Just trying to get you to take care of yourself, sir." Obi-Wan flinched at the title, remembering Cody's blank voice and eerie obedience.

Obi-Wan. Call me Obi-Wan. The war is over.

"It is, isn't it," Cody murmured. "What are we supposed to do now?"

Obi-Wan hesitated, then answered honestly.

I don't know.

There was a knock on the door. They glanced at each other, and Cody called for them to come in.

Ahsoka poked her head in and smiled when she saw them. Rex and Padmé stood behind her.

"Hey, Master Obi-Wan." She signed as she spoke, the motions hesitating and jerky with unpracticed hands.

Ahsoka, he replied, some knot he hadn't noticed until now unwinding in his chest. He'd vaguely remembered her calling his name before he passed out, and Cody's presence supported that Sidious had lied, but now he could finally feel the relief of knowing she was alive in full.

"I'm so happy you're okay."

Come here. He held out his hand to her and Cody slipped to the side, letting them have their reunion. She took it and he pulled himself up again for a hug. They clung to one another, and Obi-Wan's throat tightened with something that felt suspiciously like grief. He shuddered. Tears pricked at his eyes so he squeezed them shut, trying to hold them back.

Here they were, the two of them. The last Jedi and they weren't even Jedi anymore. She had left the Order and he had…

He pulled back, trying to discreetly wipe his face. When he looked up at Padmé, he saw that she wasn't holding the twins and worry lanced through him.

Are you okay? Luke and Leia?

"Everyone's fine, Obi-Wan. They're with Bail," she said.

Bail? Bail was here? He realized he didn't know where they were, other than in a med center.

"We're on Alderaan," Ahsoka said. "Senator Organa's the one who put together the rescue mission."

Obi-Wan turned to her.

You came back for me.

"I got Rex and Padmé to the transport and… I decided I couldn't just leave you there. The Force was telling me to go back for you." She paused. "Master? What happened? When I got there Palpatine was dead… Did you do it?"

Obi-Wan tensed. He didn't want to think about it. Didn't want to think about Sidious tearing into his mind, forcing him to submit. Didn't want to think about Falling into the cold fires of the Dark.

He clenched his jaw and heard a monitor beside him start to beep more rapidly.

You should kill me, he should say. You should have let me die.

But he was too selfish. Too much of a coward. So instead…

I would like to be alone, now, he signed, his fingers shaking again.

"Obi-Wan—" Cody stepped forward, hand outstretched. Obi-Wan pulled away, unable to look either of them in the eye.

Please.

Ahsoka and Cody glanced at each other.

"Alright. Get some rest, Obi-Wan," Cody said. Ahsoka frowned, but let Cody usher her and Rex away. Padmé hesitated, stepping closer to him.

"Thank you. For getting us out. For protecting us."

I didn't do much, he replied shamefully.

"Your distraction worked. It pulled all the guards away and we were able to make it to the ship." She touched his elbow lightly and he looked up into her sincere, brown eyes. "Thank you, Obi-Wan. For everything you did for me and my children."

His hands trembled. He didn't know how to respond. He had promised to free them and now they were free, but if it hadn't been for Ahsoka and Rex… Obi-Wan had given up. He had still failed them by not getting them out sooner.

She echoed Cody's sentiment as she left.

"Get some rest. I'll bring the twins by when you're feeling better."

Obi-Wan twisted his upper half to face the wall, ignoring the ache in his spine and wishing he could fully curl up on his side.

He had said he wanted to be alone, but now that he actually was, he was regretting it.

"Master?" He stretched out his senses, searching for Qui-Gon's presence.

"Padawan," came the immediate reply, although he still couldn't see Qui-Gon there. He didn't sound angry, but Obi-Wan couldn't imagine he wasn't.

"I'm sorry," he cried, his breath hitching as tears rolled down his face. "I'm sorry. I failed, I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said.

"It's not! I Fell! I killed in anger."

"You killed the Sith."

"I didn't do it because he was the Sith, though. I did it because I hated him." There wasn't some duty he thought he had to fulfill, not when the people he loved were all dead. He hadn't done it because it was necessary to protect anyone, or because the Force had guided him to. And he hated himself for it.

Qui-Gon's sigh was heavy and sad.

"He tortured you for a year, Obi-Wan. That is not an easy thing to endure. But you did. You survived," he said.

"That's not good enough! I promised… I promised you I wouldn't Fall, Master, and I did. I gave myself to him. I—" Why couldn't Qui-Gon understand? Why did he have to be so forgiving?

"Did you?"

Obi-Wan blinked.

"What?" He asked.

"Did you truly 'give yourself' to him? Or did you experience a moment of weakness? It takes more than a moment of anger to Fall, Padawan." Again, he called him Padawan, a title Obi-Wan had lost the right to.

"It wasn't just a moment of anger. I knelt before him. Called him Master. Bled my kyber and let him name me. I let my anger and fear and hatred control me for months. I have been selfish and arrogant, and I have betrayed the Jedi." The list of his transgressions was long and damnable.

"The Light is choice," Qui-Gon said, "One we continue to make every day, and as long as you make that choice, you will be a Jedi. You did nothing so reprehensible you can't return to the Light."

Obi-Wan didn't know if that was true, but if Qui-Gon thought so, then maybe it was. Obi-Wan trusted his Master. Still…

"How? How do I come back to the Light, Master? How do I when I am so lost in the Dark?"

"What does the Jedi Code teach?"

Obi-Wan knew this, at least. It was engrained in him even now.

"There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force," he recited.

"That is how, Obi-Wan. You choose peace. You choose knowledge. Serenity. Harmony. You choose the Force, and you keep choosing them for the rest of your life. Think of Ahsoka, Padmé, Luke, Leia, Cody. Let them guide you in compassion and love. You are not lost forever."

Qui-Gon's words soothed some of the hurt in his soul. He closed his eyes.

"Thank you, Master," he murmured, already feeling the heavy pull of exhaustion.

"Sleep, now, Padawan. Everything will be okay."

Naboo's dawn was as beautiful as ever, the sky blooming with vibrant pinks and oranges, the lake glinting with the reflection of the rising sun. He watched as the grass began to shimmer under the rays, rippling in the wind. The sound of birds chirping and insects buzzing rang in the background, and the gentle waves of the lake lapped at the stone beneath him. It was calm. Peaceful. The perfect morning.

He sat on his rock, dangling his feet over the edge, and drank it in, letting his mind go quiet and as placid as the water. The warm light caressed his face, chasing away the shadows of the nightmare that had awoken him. Cody had woken with him, helped him dress and put his prostheses on, and then fallen back asleep on their bed. Sometimes he came out and watched the sunrise with Obi-Wan, but now that the war was over, he tended to sleep in. Often Qui-Gon would appear and sit with him, but Obi-Wan didn't mind being alone when he didn't.

An hour later, the sun was fully above the horizon and he had transitioned to a more traditional meditation, sinking into the currents of the Force. It danced light and graceful around him, singing with life and he basked in it like he did the sun.

"Uncle Obi! Uncle Obi!" He opened his eyes and turned, swinging his legs up onto the rock as the child clambered up next to him.

Good morning, Leia, he signed, and she giggled. Where's Luke? The twins rarely went out alone, essentially glued to each other's sides.

"I'm not s'pposed to tell," she said, her sparkling brown eyes wide and her excitement leaking into the Force.

And why not? He asked.

"It's a surprise!"

What is?

"It won't be a surprise if I say! C'mon, you gotta come with me!" She was practically bouncing at that point.

Do I? He couldn't help but tease.

"Yes! Please, Obi, you gotta come." She tugged on his sleeve, practically falling over from how hard she was pulling. Then she let go so he could talk.

Well, alright, then. You've convinced me. He could never refuse her.

He gave an exaggerated groan as he stood, not because it hurt much, but because Leia thought him being dramatic was hilarious. Sure enough, she giggled again.

"Uncle Obi," Leia whined. "You're old."

Maybe you're just young, he replied.

"I'm four," she pouted. "And I'll be five tomorrow."

With those simple words, the memories threatened to rise up and swallow him. He ruthlessly squashed them down.

Leia hopped down off the rock and looked back at him expectantly. He slid down after her, then gestured for her to lead on.

She flashed him a brilliant smile before heading off through the grasses, the waist-high, for her at least, blades parting around her path. Obi-Wan followed her as she led him back towards the house. As they got closer, he could see Luke crouched by the side of the porch, staring at something in his hands. Obi-Wan nudged him through the Force and he turned, his eyes lighting up at their approach.

"Hi, Uncle Obi!" He called, surprisingly quiet. "Look what we found!"

He held out his hands, showing him what appeared to be a ball of reddish-brown fluff.

Obi-Wan blinked.

What is it? He asked.

"A voorpak!" Luke said. He set it down on its six spindly legs and it turned around to peer up at him with two tiny, sky-blue eyes set in a mask-like face. It was rather cute.

He reached out a hand to it, and it sniffed his fingers, then butted its head against his palm. He obliged, scratching it gently behind its long, tufted ears. Its fur was luxuriously soft and as he pet it, it began to let out contented, cooing purrs, leaning into his touch.

"Can we keep her?" Leia asked.

The voorpak gave him a betrayed look as he stopped stroking it and scurried back over to Luke, who resumed the petting.

You will have to ask your mother, he replied. It does look like someone's pet, though. Wild voorpaks were a much duller wheaten color, and this one was obviously accustomed to sentients.

Luke picked the creature up, cradling it to his chest.

"Let's go ask her, then," he said.

Obi-Wan followed the twins inside, Leia calling out for her mama. Padmé appeared from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel.

"What is it, sweetie?"

Luke held out the voorpak.

"We found her under the porch. Obi thinks she was a pet. Can we keep her?"

Padmé glanced at Obi-Wan and raised an eyebrow. He shrugged at her in return.

"We'll take her to the vet and see if anyone is missing her. Then we'll see," she conceded.

"Yay! Thank you, Mama," Leia cried, running up to give her a hug. "Can we go now?"

"I'll comm them first."

"I'm gonna name her Fluffy," Luke said, staring down at the creature in adoration.

"No! We should name her Princess," Leia countered.

"Fluffy is better!"

They were still arguing about it as Padmé ushered them and the voorpak into the other room, leaving Obi-Wan alone.

All it once it was very quiet.

He didn't know what it was about this silence that got to him. He has been fine earlier, all alone by the lake, but now, one second he was watching the Naberries leave and the next there was a voice calling to him.

"-bi-Wan? Obi-Wan, are you alright?"

He blinked and suddenly Cody was standing right in front of him, concern written across his expression. Obi-Wan jerked back, his heart pounding. He realized he was gasping, the whine bubbling up in his throat as he shuddered, feeling the darkness slithering into his mind, cold and cruel.

"Breathe, Obi-Wan. It's okay, just breathe."

Obi-Wan squeezed his eyes shut, trembling.

"Obi-Wan, can I touch you?"

He shook his head forcefully, his shoulders drawing into a tense line.

"Okay, I won't," Cody said. "I just need you to breathe, Obi-Wan, listen to my voice."

He sank to the ground, curling in on himself, his arms wrapped tightly around his ribs. Cody knelt down with him, within reaching distance, though he kept his hands on his lap.

"You are safe, we're here in the lake house on Naboo. Sidious has been dead for four years. You're safe, Obi-Wan. Breathe. Reach out to me in the Force. Use your crystal."

Obi-Wan forced himself to inhale as deeply as he could, and then forced himself to exhale, the air leaving his lungs in a rush. His hand came up to touch the white crystal on a cord around his neck and he grounded himself with the feel of the familiar edges. Opening up to the Force terrified him, but he trusted Cody, so he reached out. He found Cody's warm, solid presence and latched on to it like a drowning man.

"Good. And again."

Cody led him through his breathing and gradually he began to relax, though tremors still ran through his body. Finally, he was calm enough to sit up and let go of his kyber. He couldn't look Cody in the eye, so he stared at his scar instead.

"Are you alright, now?" Cody asked.

Obi-Wan nodded, gripping his wrists tightly.

"What triggered this one?"

I don't know. His hands shook, making it hard to get through the signs. I was fine. Then I wasn't.

"Okay. That's okay. Do you want to go lie down on the couch?"

He nodded again. Cody stood up and extended a hand. Obi-Wan took it and let his friend pull him up. He overbalanced a bit, but Cody caught him easily and helped him over to the couch. Cody sat down at one end and Obi-Wan stretched out beside him, putting his head on Cody's thigh.

It's been four years, Cody, I should be okay, he said.

"You know that's not how it works, Obi-Wan." Yes, he did. It didn't stop him from resenting having to deal with his broken mind.

He sighed and turned his head into Cody's stomach, pressing against him. Fingers ran through his short hair, lulling him into relaxing. He let himself drift, exhaustion seeping in.

Footsteps tapped a pattern nearby.

"Is he okay?" Padmé asked, her voice sounding very far away. "Luke and Leia were worried."

"He'll be alright. He's just tired," Cody replied. "The episodes always get more frequent around the anniversary."

"I know. I only wish…" She trailed off and then sighed. "I'm taking the twins and their new friend to the vet, we might be gone a while."

"Okay. We'll—"

He didn't hear what Cody said next, he was already too far under.

A knock sounded at the door, and Obi-Wan left the tubers he was cutting on the board and went to go see who it was.

Ahsoka, he smiled warmly.

"Hi, Obi-Wan," she said, signing as she spoke. She had never gotten out of the habit that she had developed when she was still learning, even though it wasn't necessary when talking to him. "How are you?"

Good. Luke and Leia will be excited to see you. How was Hoth?

"Cold," she laughed. "I never want to go there again. Almost froze my lekku off. We stopped by Dagobah, Yoda says hello. He wants you to visit."

He hummed an acknowledgement as she leaned in for a hug that he gladly returned.

"Good to see you, Obi-Wan," Rex said, pulling him in for his own hug once he and Ahsoka separated.

You too.

He reached out along his bonds with Luke and Leia and nudged at them, sending a pulse of 'Come here'. Seconds later, he heard the patter of tiny feet running through the house.

"Auntie Ahsoka!" Luke and Leia shouted in unison. They threw themselves at her, wrapping arms around her legs and nearly bowling her over. She just laughed and ruffled their hair.

"Good to see you, too, little ones!"

"I'm not little!" Leia pouted. "I'm almost five!"

"Oh, my mistake. That makes you very big," Ahsoka said, very seriously. Obi-Wan felt his smile widen.

"Not going to give me a hug?"

"Rex!" The twins yelled, bestowing on him the same greeting they gave their Auntie Ahsoka.

Padmé and Cody came in next, having heard the commotion, and they got their own hugs.

"I'm glad you could make it," Padmé said.

"We weren't going to miss our favorite niece and nephew's life day!" Ahsoka replied as she shuffled in, Leia clinging to her leg. Luke was attached to Rex's.

Obi-Wan caught Leia's eye.

Why don't you let Ahsoka and Rex meet Princess Fluffy? Her eyes widened.

"Auntie Ahsoka! Rex! We gotta show you something!" She cried, letting go of Ahsoka's leg and grabbing her hand instead.

"Yeah! C'mon!" Luke added, pulling on Rex.

Obi-Wan smiled after them and went back to cutting his tubers for the evening meal. Cody joined him in the kitchen, helping prep the nerf meat. There was a comfortable silence between them, and it was fine, up until the knife slipped in Obi-Wan's hand.

He stared down at the bright red blood welling up in the cut, unable to move, feeling his breath get shorter as the pain hit him.

Something alerted Cody because seconds later he was at Obi-Wan's shoulder. He cursed when he saw the blood.

"Obi-Wan, will you give me your hand?" Obi-Wan could barely hear him over the ringing in his ears. "Obi-Wan, it's alright. It's not that deep. Hey, Padmé? Can you get the med kit?"

He pushed the cutting board and knife away and Obi-Wan stirred and blinked a bit, numbness invading his body.

"Let's go sit down." He gently led Obi-Wan to a chair and had him sit until Padmé brought the kit. Then, oh so carefully, he began to bandage his shaking hand. "It's okay, Obi-Wan. You're safe. We're on Naboo and everything's okay."

Soon enough, the wound was wrapped in bacta and bandages, all the blood cleaned away. Cody and Padmé disappeared, probably to go clean up the mess he'd made in the kitchen, but Ahsoka came and sat with him until he started to come back to himself. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

I'm sorry, he signed shakily.

"No need to apologize, Obi-Wan. Accidents happen."

I— He stopped, not knowing what to say. He was tired of dealing with the scars Sidious had left behind. Four years dead and the Sith still had a hold on him.

There was movement in the doorway, and he looked up to see the twins shuffling uncertainly just outside.

"Obi?" When he saw that Obi-Wan had noticed him, Luke tentatively crept closer, wide-eyed worry on his face.

I'm okay, Luke. A small cut. Nothing to worry about. He tried to smile but wasn't sure it was very convincing.

"Can I hug you?"

Obi-Wan nodded, his smile becoming more genuine. The twins never failed to make him feel better. Luke crawled into his lap and wrapped his little arms around him tightly, burying his face in Obi-Wan's chest. His Force presence leaned into Obi-Wan's as well, projecting love and warmth at him. Leia came up to him, too, and he extended an arm to offer her a spot.

"We brought you Princess Fluffy, to help you feel better," she said, setting the voorpak on his lap between her and Luke, where it snuggled up to him.

He didn't have his hands free to sign to them, but he sent his gratitude to them in the Force, feeling his fear and pain drain away.

Things weren't perfect, but they didn't need to be for him to be happy, not when he had his family.

A.N. Look, he's mostly happy, therefore it's a happy ending, right? Sidious is dead, Obi-Wan, Cody, Padme, the twins, Ahsoka, Rex, and Yoda all lived, they can be a family, Obi-Wan is (slowly) healing... Happy.

Thanks again for reading, hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.