A/N: I think every couple of chapters, I need to put a disclaimer that there will be a happy ending. This is a story about the fallen hero's rise back into grace. The last chapter was a huge step for Anakin and you'll see why soon enough. Wounds sometimes have to be reopened to heal properly and Anakin's wounds are being healed one by one. The end of this story is a beautiful sweet ending…at least in my mind. It's the ending I would wish for Anakin in canon, so bear with me. There is no pain without purpose.

-The Kenobi trailer was amazing! We're getting inquisitors! I'm so excited! Just as a reminder, this story is going to have inquisitors as well!

Chapter 19: No means no unless it means yes

Yavin 4

Mouthwatering luscious wafts of fried dough, roasted animal of some sort, and sizzling fat drifted throughout the base waking anyone who had a sense of smell. Finally done with his forms, a burning hunger grew with the strength of the fragrance as Anakin followed his nose to the source of the tantalizing scent. Luring him seductively, the hints of scrambled eggs drifted into his salivating mouth, and even though it wouldn't be nearly as delicious as the eggs from his own chickens back home, he craved it nonetheless. Although a disarray and puzzling maze of an encampment, it wasn't hard to discover the base's main cafeteria. Following the clues eagerly, if it wasn't the smell of breakfast, then it was the loud voices of people enjoying a meal together and the clattering of trays and utensils that led Anakin to the right place.

Trekking past several clusters of people huddled together on long benches, as he made his way in, a sense of relief filled him being glad that they were all too busy with their own conversations and meals. Figuring out where the line began, he picked up a tray and made his way through the different stations. It didn't matter to Anakin whether the food tasted good. He pretty much presumed it was heavily processed and primarily military ration grade products and corresponding taste. He committed to eating a bit of everything with a fervor that could see him taking down a whole ronto himself.

After going through the food line and piling everything they had on his tray, he went to sit down at the farthest table he could find. Not in the mood to make friends here, he wanted to enjoy his meal in peace and disappear quickly. Being around so many people put him on edge and he could only take small increments of it at a time. Sitting down, he plopped down his hefty tray and took a long chug out of his cold, refreshing drink, making an audible sigh as he finished his gulp, then plopped the glass down, feeling more energetic instantly. Finding the beverage was a shocking discovery and he couldn't contain his excitement. On top of that, it was a great joy to find out it was as refreshing and restorative as he hoped. That was precisely what he needed.

A voice spoke up behind him. "We may not have the most luxurious accommodations here but the blue milk is ice cold and plentiful." Obi Wan said a small smile on his face and his own tray of food between his hands.

Anakin smirked. "If you told me the blue milk here was free flowing, I would have come sooner."

Obi Wan laughed as he gestured next to Anakin, "may I?" He asked.

Nodding, Anakin scooted over on the bench to make room for Obi Wan. "The seat's empty and all yours."

Without hesitating, Obi Wan sat down, "Thank you, my friend."

He started into his own food right away as silence consumed them both and Anakin supposed Obi Wan must have been just as hungry. Soon, he followed suit and dived into the scrambled eggs as he recalled his own appetite. As he ate, he had to admit, they were pretty decent and Anakin inhaled another mouthful before his companion spoke up.

"Sleep well?" Obi Wan asked politely, having taken a moment to completely swallow his food before speaking.

Not exercising the same manners, Anakin stretched his back out and responded around a mouthful of food. "It was ok. You?" Ok, meaning without the usual laughter of his children to stir him from his slumber or the soft, warm body of his wife by his side. Yeah, it was just ok.

"As good as one could hope." Obi Wan answered as he took a sip of his own glass of blue milk and Anakin continued eating.

As Obi Wan slowly picked at his food, Anakin shoveled several more mouthfuls, oblivious to the change in behavior. Finally picking up on this, something went off in Anakin's mind with a hesitation that made him very uncomfortable. This caused him to slow his eating as he studied Obi Wan's face out of the corner of his eye.

"I didn't see you at the morning briefing today." Obi Wan started, poking a half eaten piece of sausage.

Instantly peeved, Anakin grunted. "Were you expecting me there?" He asked rhetorically, putting his fork down. Even though he didn't even know about the meeting, he doubted he would have joined.

This caused Obi Wan to pause, suddenly realizing his own assumption. "No. I guess I wasn't." He added sadly while still focused on his food despite the judging eyes.

Oh, no. Here we go. Anakin thought bitterly to himself. This felt all too familiar. Swallowing the last bites of food, Anakin rolled his eyes, dismayed as he took a large swig of the cold blue milk preparing for whatever defense Obi Wan had planned.

Luckily it didn't take him very long. One benefit of their long friendship is that the older man knew Anakin hated when he beated around the bush.

"Project Moonfall team didn't report in at the designated time. It is inferred that the mission has been severely compromised. An extraction team is being formed." Obi Wan sighed for a moment before looking hopefully into Anakin's waiting gaze.

Repressing another eye roll, Anakin plopped down his empty glass down hard, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "And you want me to join the team?" He stated, reading read between the lines as he snorted before picking his fork up again. "No way. Not going to happen. I'm not here to rescue lost children."

The disappointment was written all over Obi Wan's face, yet it was that glint of determination that made Anakin's eyebrow twitch in annoyance. More obstinate than usual, he couldn't understand why the older man was so persistent.

Leaning forward, Obi Wan's grey blue eyes focused in on Anakin. "It's not just some mission. There's vital information that the team may have uncovered. The information was too sensitive to mention in the briefing, but the importance of the informant is greatly under exaggerated. Anakin, I have a bad feeling about this. Whatever happened there, we need to go find out." Obi Wan pressed, hoping Anakin would come around.

"Did Yoda put you up to this?" Anakin snapped, his irritation getting the best of him, and immediately regretted it with the wounded look on Obi Wan's face.

"No, I haven't spoken to him about it," Obi Wan answered slowly, looking away.

Anakin sighed. Of course, he didn't, and he felt remorseful to doubt Obi Wan's trust in him. "The answer's still no," he said, this time a little more gently.

"Rex is down there." A clipped voice dropped upon them. Startled, Anakin looked up as Ahsoka mysteriously appeared in front of them like a demon out of the shadows. Not waiting for a reaction, she invited herself to sit in front of them then helped herself to a biscuit on Anakin's plate.

Anakin just stared at her.

Shaken more from the name she called out than her sudden appearance, he froze, instantly torn between a moment of doubt and recognition of the name. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Carefully, he observed her as she slowly chewed the biscuit she stole. The theft didn't even register in his mind. Blinking, he decided he must have heard her wrong.

"What did you say?" Anakin asked, hoping in vain that he was wrong.

An evil grin spread across her togruta's face, and he wondered if she grew an extra set of montrals or even horns. "You know," She cooed. "Captain Rex. He led operation Moonfall. He's a vital part of the Rebellion. In case you didn't know."

Sure enough, Anakin's brain cells started misfiring erratically, and the food in his stomach churned angrily. Maybe he shouldn't have eaten so fast.

"Do you mean…" he couldn't finish the question. He wasn't ready for the answer and the implication. Was this the Galaxy's great joke on him? His ultimate punishment for disappearing for so long?

"CT-7567… The one and only." She answered a little too quickly. She knew what she was doing and she was toying with him like a tooka before eating its prey.

No. Anakin, in shock, blinked absently at her. This turn of events was not how he had imagined his morning would go. At the present moment, her words held very little meaning against his muddled brain.

"But how? He's a clone trooper." He spat out, asking a very relevant question.

Ahsoka played it coy, looking at her fingers, busing herself with cleaning them before answering. "He had his chip removed," she said smoothly.

Usually, when she pulled a stunt like this, it would get Anakin riled up, but his mind was elsewhere. Yet, curiously, the calmness in her demeanor made Anakin think there was a more intimate story to how that happened, and this shed some light on how she survived order 66.

"Agh!" Anakin ran both his hands through his long dirty blond locks before tugging at the ends in final frustration. Any calmness he felt that morning left him in a rush as volatile emotions rippled through him. He growled before slamming both his fists onto the table and standing up. A decision had been made.

"DANK FARRIK!" He finally exclaimed as he stormed off, leaving his friends and the rest of his breakfast in the fumes of his bubbling exasperations.

Silence was a golden dagger of triumph.

The two mischievous friends sat soundly in the wake of Anakin's display of reluctant acceptance. Having the deep knowledge of each other, the action confirmed what Anakin had concluded in his mind.

Obi Wan picked up his drink before he asked Ahsoka. "Shall I assume that Anakin will be joining us on this mission then?"

With a little too much pep in her movements, Ahsoka pulled Anakin's now abandoned breakfast tray towards her. "It seems like it." She replied as she picked up the fork.

"Mmm," Obi Wan grunted, taking a sip of his blue milk. "Indeed."

As each minute drew out, they sat there sipping their respective drinks, pondering the conflicting conundrum that was Anakin Skywalker. With Ahsoka shifting in her seat, Obi Wan turned his head to observe her growing discomfort. Despite the playful front she displayed in front of Anakin, she was clearly struggling with a myriad of issues dancing around in that sharp torguta mind of hers. Torn between wanting answers and patiently waiting for the right timing, Obi Wan decided to sit quietly. Reflecting on her youth, he recalled when she would choose to speak first and think later. In this way, it was delightful to see how much she's grown. Although, that would be giving him too much credit as he spent equal parts avoiding her as he did cautiously watching over her. It wasn't intentional. She just reminded him too much of Anakin and how he failed him. It was amazing she didn't resent him more for his distance.

When she finally sat up and made eye contact, Obi Wan left his thoughts for another day. Putting down the drink he was absently rolling in his hand, he waited patiently for her to speak.

"You know, I've been thinking," she started gradually. "And…I have some doubts about Anakin. Look, I don't know how to say it, so I'm just going to say it. How do we know he's not a Sith?" Ahsoka blurted out sullenly, her voice tight and strained, the words almost too painful to speak.

It was not an unfair question, although not what he expected her to say. Conflicted with his different loyalties, Obi Wan frowned as he glanced down with his thick eyebrows wrinkled in thought, torn with how much he could say. "You just have to trust me that he isn't." He answered frankly as he made eye contact.

But that caused Ahsoka to scrunch her face as she looked away in disappointment. To this, Obi Wan let out a long suffering sigh. Of course, that wasn't a good enough answer for her. She is, after all, the former Padawan to one of the most stubborn people Obi Wan had the delight of knowing.

Taking a different approach, he leaned forward on the bench as he tucked his arms into his sleeves, giving her his undivided attention before he asked, "Do you feel any darkness from him?"

Thoughtfully, Ahsoka pushed the tray aside, mirroring his movements as she leaned forward and folded her hands into her blue forearm guards. She didn't have the luxury of long sleeves like Obi Wan did.

Tentatively, she smacked her lips together, considering his words before she spoke up. "No, surprisingly not. He's closed off from me but it doesn't feel devious. I know he's hiding something but he still has the goodness in him that I remember. I don't understand what that all means?"

Pausing, she tilted her head as she studied Obi Wan and he suppressed a knowing smile as he watched her slowly piece things together. Clever girl.

"Obi Wan," Ahsoka started, the question in her mind would bother her until she got an answer. "If you don't mind me asking…how DID you find Anakin?" She asked hesitantly, the larger question dancing in her eyes. She knew they had a scuffle given Anakin's bruises but she didn't have all the details.

Unfortunately, Obi Wan couldn't provide them for her either. It was not his place and although she probably would benefit from understanding the whole truth, it wasn't his right to tell.

"Have you asked Anakin directly?" He asked instead of answering her question directly.

She looked away again sheepishly. "No, not yet. I'm afraid to." She admitted just above a whisper.

"We both know that's a terrible reason not to do something." Obi Wan admonished ever so gently.

"I know but it doesn't make it easier." Ahsoka quickly countered, then slumped back in her seat, knowing he was right.

Obi Wan also settled back in his seat as he waited patiently, giving her space. He watched as her lekku twitched as she stared down the path Anakin had stormed away in with hopes of understanding him better.

"Five years is a long time," Ahsoka started. "I suppose I'm happy he did whatever he needed to do to get his head screwed on straight. Good for him. Now he's here and obsessed with Palpatine but he's holding back. And for what? We're still going to need him to rebuild the Republic. What's he going to do afterward? Disappear back into whatever swamp planet of his self imposed exile?" The inference hung in the air. She examined Obi Wan hoping to get a hint and be right on track with her conclusion but found nothing in his eyes. Frustrated, she crossed her arms and said no more.

After a long moment, Obi Wan spoke up, "The answers you seek can only come from Anakin."

The side of her mouth twitched with annoyance, reluctantly accepting the truth as she traced the food tray with a finger. "So things are ok between you two?" She probed.

This caused Obi Wan beam brightly. "Better than they had ever been." Honesty, as brutal as it was, did free them. Obi Wan and Anakin were better for it. It opened a space for them to be vulnerable and share at a level they never did before.

Surreptitiously, she raised an eyebrow. There was something else she was looking for. "But you still feel responsible for him?"

Obi Wan rubbed his greying beard. Not many people were able to get under his skin, but like her Master, she was able to. He was taken back by the statement as he leaned into his chair and hid his arms further under the long sleeves of his robes. "It's a bond between a Master and a Padawan. It's hard to explain."

Ahsoka frowned again in a puzzling move to Obi Wan as he tilted his head in confusion. She took her time before speaking up. "Did things change when he was no longer your Padawan?" She asked.

He blinked in confusion, unsure what her line of questioning was leading to. "There was an adjustment period where I needed to remind myself he wasn't my Padawan anymore. If that's what you mean?"

"No, that's not what I'm asking," Ahsoka said with a hint of frustration in her voice. She huffed and sat back. "Anakin was always very hard on me as a Padawan and I knew he did that for me to excel. Over time we became closer and he trusted me more but…I see you guys together and I wondered if we would ever have that." Ahsoka revealed.

Obi Wan sat up a little straighter, "Have what?"

Out of habit, she bit her lip as she started to regret speaking up. "It's just the way Anakin relates and connects to you is nothing in the way he had ever been with me."

Obi Wan was the one to frown this time. "Ahsoka, Anakin was proud to have you as a Padawan and did trust you much more than you think. What he and I have comes from a place of a lot of difficulties. We had an extraordinarily harsh beginning and there was a time I didn't think we would make it. You may not have seen it but we had many rough patches together even after he became a Jedi Knight. It's only recently that we are now really understanding each other."

It was puzzling to see Ahsoka so unsure and very unlike her. Concerned, Obi Wan searched Ahsoka's eyes. He was utterly at a loss for what she thought and he hoped those words would give her some reassurance.

Looking down at her hands, Ahsoka continued biting her lip in reflection. What actually bugged her was elusive and deeply buried in her mind and he could tell she wasn't willing to discuss what was really bothering her.

"Give him time. This is all a big adjustment for Anakin. Maybe when there's a calm moment, you can sit down and talk to him about your concerns." Obi Wan offered warmly, thinking she was probably coming from her own place of guilt.

"You have a good point," Ahsoka admitted, finally the twinkle back in her eyes as she smiled. "It's good to see wise old Obi Wan is still in there somewhere. It's been a while."

Something in her words rubbed Obi Wan the wrong way as he stared at her. Has he changed that much? Was his behavior so much different now that he finally found Anakin?

"Maybe if we do find Rex and bring him back, Anakin will be more opened and change his mind about the Rebellion?" She asked in an upbeat tone.

The optimistic togruta he knew had returned and Obi Wan shrugged kindly as he couldn't say more. Anakin has duties to other people, and Obi Wan understood his stance and reluctance. However, Ahsoka didn't know these things.

"Maybe?" He offered. It was a stretch but maybe Anakin will decide to open up to her. She was the little sister he never had, even if he didn't want her at first, and there was a time when they trusted each other implicitly. Perhaps that time had passed. He stood up and drank the last of his blue milk. "It's good to see you again, Ahsoka. I'll let the others know that Anakin will be joining the rescue mission."

Giving her a slight bow, he stood and took his tray with him. The shadow returned to his features as he slipped away from the togruta. It bothered him to have her so much in the dark with Anakin's situation but it was beyond his place to say despite how upset she seemed and how personally she was taking it. Unfortunately, she didn't know about the vow he made to Padmé. Which complicated things further. How would she take it when she finally finds out, if she does, and would she see Obi Wan's silence as an act of betrayal of her trust? An issue that seemed to be a growing concern for her. Everything surrounding Anakin was so complicated. He was foolish to think that finding Anakin would solve his problems. Out of the frying pan and into the fire but what exactly was the fire they were stepping into?

A/N: Operation save Rex coming up next! It'll go smoothly, right? Because every plan in Star Wars goes exactly as expected! Right….right?

FYI, Ahsoka mentioned a swamp planet is a nod to Yoda going to Dagobah in canon. Yes, I'm a geek! xD

You guys! I really want to go to Star Wars Celebration! What do I do if I can't get tickets?